I'd Lie
by Foundation of Dreams
Summary: It was the classic story. Edward and I had been friends since diapers. We went through the awkward stages of middle school together and now we were seniors in highschool. And, of course, somewhere along the way, he'd stolen my heart." All human. B/E
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Here I am again, with a new idea. I came up with this after listening to two Taylor Swift songs, on repeat, to be honest. They were: You Belong With Me and I'd Lie. **

**I know that this idea's been done like, a million times but...I'm giving it a shot. **

**So, here we go...ready...set...read!! **

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Age Five

"Mama, I'm gonna go play with Edward." Five year old Isabella Swan said, hopping on one foot as she pulled on her pink rain boots. Renee smiled and nodded to her daughter, then watched as Bella ran out the door, braids streaming behind, tripping only once on the way, and out of sight.

Renee stood up and looked out the kitchen window, watching as Bella ran through the puddles left by the morning rain to the next door neighbor's house, the Cullens. Edward Cullen was in Bella's Kindergarten class, not much of a surprise, really, but, since Esme Cullen was also one of Renee closest friends, they'd already been friends for as long as the two kids could remember.

Bella knocked on the front door and waited for a moment before it opened and Esme let her in and waved to Renee.

"Hi, Sweetie. How's my favorite girl today?" Esme asked, shutting the door behind little Bella and helping her out of her jacket. Bella smiled up at her best friend's mom.

"I'm good." Bella said, sitting down and pulling off her muddy boots. "Is Eddie upstairs?" She asked, standing up again with bare feet. Esme smiled to herself.

"Yes, he's in his room. Go on up." She told Bella.

"Thank you Mrs. Cullen!" Bella called, already halfway up the stairs. A moment later there was an "Oof!" and a dull thud.

"I'm okay!" Bella yelled to no one in particular. Esme laughed softly, used to Bella's clumsiness and went back to her magazine.

Bella pushed open the door to Edward's room and found him playing with his cars on the floor. She plopped down next to him and picked one up.

"Wanna race?" she asked suddenly. Edward looked up, grinning.

"You know I'm gonna beat you again." He said. Bella stuck her tongue out at him.

"Nu uh!"

"Yeah uh!" It went back and forth for a minute before Edward stopped it.

"Ready." he started, getting to his feet with his favorite Hot Wheels car in his hand.

"Set." Bella said, doing the same.

"Go!" the yelled together, and ran out of the room, cars in hand, making "car noises" and driving their cars on the walls, the banister, even the open air. The two zoomed past Esme, who watched them, laughing. They were nearing the finish line...

And Bella fell.

Neither Esme, Edward, or even Bella really knew what happened, but Bella started crying, cradling her wrist to her chest. Edward screeched to a stop and ran back to her, sitting down next to her on the floor, looking distressed. Esme calmly made her way over to the two, took one look at Bella's wrist, and helped her up. It was obviously broken.

"Come on, you two. Let's pay Mr. Cullen a visit." Esme said. Edward scrambled to his feet as Esme helped Bella put her boots back on, then her jacket. When she was finished, Esme picked Bella up and carried her out to the car. Bella was still sniffling, trying not to jostle her arm. Edward followed, looking worried, and climbed into the backseat while Esme set Bella inside.

"Stay here while I go get Mrs. Swan, okay guys?" she told them. Edward nodded and scooted over to Bella.

"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. Bella just nodded, sniffing again.

"I'm sorry." He said sadly, upset that there wasn't anything he could do.

"Oh, Bella..." Renee said, getting into the passenger's seat of Esme's car. "It's going to be okay, Sweetie. Edward's Daddy is going to fix it."

"Yeah! My daddy's a doctor, remember?" Edward added as Esme pulled out of the driveway. Bella nodded and lay down in the back seat, resting her head in Edward's lap. On instinct, not even thinking about it, Edward gently stroked her hair.

Esme glanced at them in her rearview mirror, and smiled.

Three hours later, Bella had a purple cast on her left arm, Edward had already printed his name in big letters on it, and the two kids were eating cookies and drinking chocolate milk in Renee's kitchen while Renee and Esme talked in the living room.

"They're going to be together by the time they're....seventeen." Renee said, then took a sip of her tea. Esme shook her head.

"No...I think it's going to be eighteen." She mused.

**Age Eighteen - Bella's POV**

"Argh!" Edward groaned as he paced, pulling at his hair. I sat in the spinning chair at my desk, my eyes following him as he paced in circles around my room.

Edward still had the messy bronze hair, still had the stunning green eyes, and he was still my best friend. But, he was now six-foot-four, his voice was deep, and he had razors and shaving cream in his bathroom.

Not to mention my heart. But, it wasn't in his bathroom.

"Help me out here, Bells, you're a girl." Edward said, flopping down on my bed.

Yeah, I'm a girl, Edward. Thanks for noticing. I rolled my eyes.

"Edward, Amy-" Edward interrupted me.

"Amber. It's Amber, Bells." He reminded me. I could tell he was smiling, just a bit.

"Oh, right. Sorry." I apologized. "Anyways, let me get this straight. You told Amber the funny blonde joke that Emmett told us the other day?" I asked. Edward nodded. I smacked myself on the forehead, then rolled up a magazine that was sitting on my desk. I stood up and smacked Edward across the nose with it. He yelped.

"What the hell?" he yelled, sitting up. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're an idiot." I said, trying not to laugh as I sat down next to him, criss cross.

"I'm lost." Edward said, falling back again, and tangling his hands in hair, about to pull it again. And people wonder why it always looks like he just rolled our of bed...

"Edward, stop and think for a minute. What color hair does Amber have?" I asked him, making sure to talk extra slow. For such a smart guy, he could be pretty stupid.

Alright, I'm not saying that no blonde can appreciate a blonde joke. But Amber...

Think...cheerleader (not that we have any at our school, but if we did....) Think....Chihuahua in the purse. Think...."Seriously, coach, you want me to play volleyball? -dramatic gasp here- I'll break a nail!" Think....Barbie.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit. But, just a little. Anyways, Amber was the type of blonde who only 95% of them can really appreciate a blonde joke. I still couldn't see what possessed Edward to date her.

"Crap!" Edward groaned, snatching the magazine out of my hand and smacking himself with it.

"Now do we get why she's mad at you?" I asked as he beat himself over the head with the magazine.

"Yeah." He said as I took the magazine from him. He sat up, and turned so that he was facing me.

"Now, the question is, how do I fix it?" he asked, more to himself than me. I sighed.

"It's simple. Go buy her perfume, say you're terribly sorry, an idiot, you never meant to insult her, she's beautiful-"

"Okay! Okay, I get it." Edward said, laughing a little, holding up his hands. He stood up.

"Thanks, Bells. You're a lifesaver." He kissed the top of my head.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, then left the room with a wave. A minute later, the front door slammed, and he was gone.

I groaned and flopped onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling.

It was the classic story. Edward and I had been friends since diapers. We grew up together. Went through the awkward stages of middle school together (He had braces, I had glasses) and now we were seniors in highschool.

And, of course, somwhere along the way, he'd stolen my heart.

As always, Edward drove me to school in the morning. But...

"Hey, you're early." I commented as Edward appeared in the door way to my bathroom as I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, still in my PJs and glasses.

"I know...um...we need to pick up Amber too." He said sheepishly, reaching back and rubbing the back of his neck. I turned to glare at him.

"A little warning would've been nice." I said angrily, stomping back into my room to finish getting ready.

Amber and I...we didn't get along. At all. She was jealous of me, being the best friend and all, and I was jealous of her for being the girlfriend, which, of course, I hid terribly. Thankfully, Edward has the tendency to be an idiot about these things, as we've already seen, and, as far as I know, doesn't have a clue.

"Aww, come on, Bells! Don't be mad at me..." Edward pleaded as he followed me back to my room. Even though Edward was oblivious to my feelings, he'd caught on to my dislike of Amber. I stopped him at the door.

"I have to change. Go raid the fridge or something. I'll be down in a few minutes." I told him, then shut my door while he was still standing there. I felt kind of bad about it, but hey! If I didn't hurry, we'd be late. Again. And I was still a little mad at him. Like I said, warning would've been nice.

I sighed and got out a pair of old faded blue jeans and pulled them on. They had a few holes in them, but that was okay. It gave them character. Then, I put on a white tee shirt with different colored stars on it. I decided not to bother with contacts today. I didn't really have time to go through the hassle of putting them in, and I kind of liked my current glasses. They were simple, plastic, black frames.

I was sitting on my bed and yanking on my sky blue hightops (they matched some of the stars on my shirt) when Edward knocked.

"Are you ready yet, Bells?" he called through the door. I finished lacing my shoes up, grabbed the red hoodie on the end of my bed (which also matched certain stars on my shirt) and slung my tan messenger bag with all my books and stuff in it over my shoulder, then opened the door. Remembering just in time, I grabbed my brush off the dresser. I'd have to do that in the car. Edward followed me down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. I stumbled when we got to the bottom, but caught myself.

"Bye, Mom!" I yelled, grabbing my keys off the table.

"Bye, Mrs. Swan!" Edward yelled, holding the door for me. I walked down the porch steps and waited for him to unlock his car. It was a nice car. Shiny, silver Volvo. It was baby. He gave it a good washing every Saturday, without fail, and towel dried it. Vacuumed the inside on Sunday. He had a set of rules for it that he listed off to every person to get in it.

1. Feet remain on the floor boards. Exception: Bella can have her feet on the seats.

2. No food in the car. Exception: If Bella say...was rushed out of the house without breakfast, she can eat in the car.

3. All drinks must have lids on securely.

4. He gets radio control. Exception: Bella can have it if she pouts enough.

5. No feet on the dashboard. Exception: Do you see the pattern yet?

Of course, the "exceptions" weren't a part of the rules listed...but they often came up.

We got into the car, Edward started driving towards Amber's house, and I pulled my hair out of the pony tail it was in and started brushing it.

"You're buying me lunch today." I told Edward. He opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again. After a minute he admitted.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair."

We got to Amber's way too soon for my liking. She was already outside, tapping her foot impatiently when we pulled up.

Amber was wearing a mid-thigh length black skirt, a white halter top (It might be only September, but she'd be cold by the end of the day.) heels, and she'd straightened her hair.

Edward's never really been the kind of guy for stuff like that. This is an advantage of being the best friend. He talks to me about this sort of stuff.

To repeat what he's told me, he gets intimidated by a girl who dresses up every day. For a date, he likes it, I mean, what guy doesn't? But for just everyday, school, hanging out at his house, that sort of thing, he, like me, doesn't see the point in it. Look decent, but don't over do it.

Amber walked down to the car, and opened the passenger door. I smiled at her.

"Are you going to move?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the hood of the car. I sighed loudly, rolled my eyes at Edward and clambered over the center console into the backseat. I saw Edward wince, and knew that if it had been anyone else doing that, even Amber, he'd be yelling now.

Amber got in the front seat then leaned over and kissed Edward. I stared out the window.

As Edward pulled away from the curb, Amber tossed my bag onto me.

"Oops, did I hit you, Bella? I'm sorry." She said, flashing me a fake smile. Yeah, right.

Then, she reached out and turned on the radio. I waited for Edward to protest, to remind Amber of rule number four...

Still waiting...

Stupid as it is, it hurt. _I _was supposed to be the only exception to that rule. I'd been the only exception to any of the rules since the day he got the stupid car, two years ago, but here Amber was, fiddling with the radio unhindered. What was next?

I bit my lip and dug my ipod out of my bag. I curled up, my feet tucked underneath me, and stayed in my own world the rest of the way to school.

Edward pulled into his regular parking space a few minutes later and we piled out of the Volvo. We were late, big surprise. Amber hurried off to her first class of the day, after kissing Edward again. I started walking towards our first class, English, while he was...occupied. I was already halfway there when he came jogging up behind me.

"Wait up, Bells." He called after me. Our schedules were almost identical. I only had one class without him. This could be a good thing and a bad thing...

I wanted to just keep walking. I wanted to tell him how much it hurt every time I saw him with Amber. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't be around them any more. I _wanted _to tell him that he had to chose, me or her.

But, I couldn't. It was silly to even think I could do any of those things.

So, I stopped walking. I waited for him to catch up with me.

"Hurry up, we're late." I said as I started walking again. He had a smile on his face, but it just wasn't the same. It wasn't _his _smile.

"Yeah, what's new?" Edward asked as we entered building three and walked down the empty halls. I just shrugged. He was right. We rarely got to school on time.

I was about to open the door to the classroom when Edward put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Hey...is there something wrong?" he asked sincerely, looking down at me. I looked up into his bright green eyes.

_Of course there's something wrong. Are you blind? _I yelled at him in my head. But, when I opened my mouth I said,

"No. Just tired." Then I turned and went into class.

"How nice of you to join us, Miss Swan, Mr. Cullen." The teacher chided as we slid into our seats.

Edward believed me. When I want to be successful with my lies, he can see right through me. But, the one time I want him to know I'm lying...

Typical.

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**There we are! What do you think? Should I continue this? Please, please, please review and tell me what you think of this?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bella's POV**

I waved to Edward as he rummaged in his pockets for his keys, standing on the front porch of his house while I walked across his yard towards my house. He waved back, then disappeared into the house. I jammed my hands into the pocket of my hoodie and walked up the wooden steps and onto my porch. I went inside and set my bag down on the kitchen table.

"Mom?" I yelled. She should be home...

"Up here, Sweetie!" she answered. I walked up the stairs, carefully, and into my parents room. There was my mother, standing in front of the open closet, wrapped up in a towel.

"Hi, Mom." I said, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Bella. How was school?" she asked, tapping her pointer finger on her chin.

"Same as usual." I answered.

"That's great, honey!" Renee said. I sighed. She wasn't paying attention to me.

"I'm going to go and do my homework, okay mom?" I asked, standing up as she pulled out a pair of sweatpants. I waited for a minute, but got no answer, so I just left. I walked down the hall to my room, and, of course, tripped. I landed on my face in the middle of the hallway with a crash.

I rolled over and stared up at the ceiling.

"Ow." I said, before getting to my feet, and going into my room, shutting the door behind me.

"Bella?" there was a knock on my door, and my dad opened it, finding me sitting at my desk and working on homework.

"Yeah?" I asked, spinning my chair around so I was facing him.

"I'm going over to Billy's to watch the game. You want to come?" he asked. I thought about it for a minute. Edward had a date with Amber tonight...I wouldn't have anything to do, not even homework, as I'd just finished. It might be nice to see Billy...

"Yeah. I'll go." I said, standing up and grabbing my hoodie.

I stared at the window, watching the wall of trees as my dad drove towards the reservation. I hadn't been there in a few years, seeing as I'd never really enjoyed tagging along after my dad and his friend, Billy Black on various fishing trips or sitting and watching a basketball game or something. I knew that Billy had a son, I think his name was Jacob? But, we'd never really gotten along very well. He was my age, but he always liked to bug me.

But...I needed to get out of the house. So, here I was, following my dad into the Black's house.

"Bella! How nice to see you again." Billy said, smiling at me. He was in a wheelchair, I'd forgotten about that. I greeted him shyly, my hands in my pocket, and my hair falling in front of my face.

"Who drank my last soda?" a guys voice yelled from my right, then I heard foot steps. I looked up, and standing in the doorway to what must be the kitchen was a very tall boy. Seriously, he had to be 6'6. He had long black hair, pulled back into a pony tail, and dark brown eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just jeans. His skin was copper...

This had to be Jacob. The last time I'd seen him, he was probably a good two feet shorter, though.

"Um...hi.." he said, staring at me. I blushed, and looked down at my feet.

"Crap! Um...I'll be right back." He said. Then, running footsteps. Billy and Charlie laughed.

"Well, Bella. That was Jacob, do you remember him?" Billy asked as we made our way into the living room. I just nodded. A minute after I'd sat down on the couch next to Charlie, Jacob skidded into the room, wearing a shirt this time. He stopped in front of me, and held out his hand. I also noticed that he'd put on cologne or something. He definitely hadn't smelled like that before.

"I'm Jake." He said. I timidly shook his hand.

"Bella." I squeaked. I heard Charlie snort to himself, probably at my shyness. I was never like this at home, or with Edward.

Jake flopped down next to me on the couch.

"So, what're we watching?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"Basketball, Rockets against Celtics." Charlie answered. Jake wrinkled his nose, but only I noticed it. He stood up and took a few steps. Neither Charlie or Billy protested, their eyes on the game. Jake looked back at me.

"Coming?" he asked in a quiet voice.

What the hell. Why not? I stood up and followed him. When we got to the door, he yelled,

"We're going down to the beach, Dad!" he yelled. There was a grunt from the living room, followed by my dad yelling,

"Foul! Foul! Did you see that?" Jake and I chose that moment to slip out. Jake shut the door behind us, after grabbing a jacket.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked. So, let's recap.

I'm with a guy I barely know.

Who looks like he could snap me in half without breaking a sweat.

Who went of his way to annoy me when we were little.

It's getting dark.

And my dad's completely zoned out.

But, I'm not scared, or nervous. Just a little shy. I had a strange feeling that I was safe with Jake, safer than I would be with most people I know.

"Like I said, to the beach." Jake answered me. I nodded, stuffing my hands back into my pocket. The sun was going down. It was hovering over tops of the trees, slowly turning orange. I was almost jogging to keep up with pace that Jake set; his legs were so much longer than mine. He looked down at me, and slowed, as did I.

"Sorry, Bella." He apologized, sounding slightly amused. I tilted my head back to look at him, and stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed, and copied me. I stumbled over a rock, and Jake grabbed my arm to steady me.

"You okay?" he asked, seriously. Now I laughed.

"Yeah. I'm clumsy." I said. Jake nodded, and let go. We walked along in silence for a couple minutes, but a good silence.

"We knew each other when we were kids, didn't we?" Jake asked. I hadn't been expecting him to ask that. It caught me by surprise.

"Yeah. Yeah, we did." I said.

_"Hey, Belly, look over here!" Jake yelled, looking over the edge of the boat. We were eight years old, and fishing with our dads. We were in the middle of a lake a few miles from Forks, and Charlie and Billy were in the zone. _

_"What is it?" I asked, coming over beside him. _

_"You've gotta see this, it's really, really cool!" Jake said. "You have to lean over the edge of the boat to see it." He instructed. I did. _

_"I don't see anything, just a bunch of-" and then, I was in the water. The splash had alerted Charlie and Billy, and I could just hear Jake laughing as I struggled to keep my head above water. _

_"Help!" I screamed. I'd only had two swimming lessons in my entire live. My teeth were chattering. It was just the beginning of Spring and the water was freezing. _

_"Bella!" Charlie yelled. Billy had Jake by the ear and was yelling at him, but it barely registered. I went under again, and swallowed a few mouthfuls of water before I was able to get back to the surface again. I saw Charlie dive out of the boat and then he swimming towards me. He grabbed me just as I went under again, and helped me stay up. _

_"Don't worry, Baby. Daddy's got you now." He soothed as he swam back to the boat with me. I was shivering, my teeth were rattling in my head, and I was crying. _

That just about sums up Jake and I's childhood relationship.

"I'm sorry." Jake said, still being serious. "I was a jerk, wasn't I?" I could feel the ground getting softer as we neared the beach.

"You were a jerk." I confirmed, frowning. It was quiet again, but this time it was a little awkward. We were on the beach now. The sun wasn't all the way down yet, but it was getting close. The sky was a mixture purple, pink, and orange.

"Here." Jake said, stopping front of a giant piece of drift wood. He sat down in front of it, and leaned against it. He patted the sand next to him. I sat down next to him, my back against the log.

"So, what are we doing out here?" I asked. Jake shrugged.

"I don't really know." He admitted. "I'm not a big fan of basketball, you looked like you didn't really want to be there either, and I thought of this place. So...here we are."

We sat and talked. The sun went down beyond the horizon. Twilight came, and went.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my hoodie, and I took it out. It was a text, from Edward.

_"Hey, where are you?" _it said.

_"I'm down at La Push." _I wrote, then looked back up at Jake, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

"Sorry." I apologized, since I'd interrupted him.

"It's okay." Jake said. We were facing each other now, sitting with crossed legs. "What time is it?" he asked. I pulled out my phone and looked it.

"A little after nine. Do you think we should head back yet?" Wow. We'd already been out here for two hours.

"Do you want to? I think we could stay a few more minutes." Jake said, as my phone buzzed again. I flipped it open.

_"What are you doing out there?" _Edward asked.

_"Hanging out with a friend." _I answered.

"Boyfriend?" Jake asked. I was surprised to hear a smudge of disappointment in his voice.

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"The guy you're texting. Is he your boyfriend?" Jake asked again. Yep, there it was again. Why would he sound like that?

"Edward?" I couldn't help it. The idea of Edward liking me was so...ridiculous that I started giggling. Yeah...giggling.

Jake huffed. "Could you just answer me, please?" he asked, sound a little annoyed.

"No, he's not my boyfriend." I said as my phone vibrated again. I looked down at it.

_"When are you coming home?" _I sighed.

_"Edward, aren't you supposed to be on a date or something? I don't know, okay?" _I typed, a little bit annoyed. I mean...am I not allowed to have a life apart from him?

I guess I was just kind of sick of being his fall back girl, you know?

"Sorry, sorry..." I mumbled to Jake. Jake and I were quiet again, running out of things to say. Jake moved suddenly, lying down flat on his back. He put his hands behind his head.

"Look at the sky." He said. I lay down next to him, and looked up.

"Whoa." I breathed. The crescent moon was up, and there were already thousands of stars lighting up the sky.

"Yeah." Jake chuckled. We watched the stars come out in silence for several minutes, before Edward texted me again.

_"We had a fight. I'll see you later." _Was his reply. Now I felt guilty. I groaned and, without thinking about what I was doing, buried my face in Jake's shoulder. When I realized what I'd just done, I froze.

Oops. Major oops.

To my surprise, Jake's hand rested on my head, ruffling my hair a little.

"What's up?" he asked, concerned. I shifted. At first, I intended to move back to my original position, but I decided against it. I liked it here. So, instead I just got a little more comfortable.

Wait what? I love Edward. What am I doing?

But, Edward is clueless, and even if he knew, he wouldn't like me back, so who cares? I like Jake. He makes me feel safe.

"My best friend had a fight with his girlfriend, and is making me feel guilty about not being there to talk to him." I said.

"I see..." Jake said. He was holding me now, his muscular arm around my shoulders.

I didn't say anything else about it. I didn't want to think about Edward right now.

We stayed like that for what felt like a long time, watching the stars come out and listening to the waves and each other's breathing.

Jake sighed.

"I guess we'd better head back now." He said reluctantly. I nodded, not really wanting to go back, but knowing that we had to. I got to my feet, brushed the sand off my back, and stretched. Jake did the same, and then lead the way back up the path.

It was dark now. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

"It's just past 10:00." I told Jake. I knew he was being careful to walk slower than he usually did, so I could keep up.

"The game should be over by the time we get back." He commented. My foot caught on a tree root, and I stumbled with a gasp.

"Whoa!" Jake caught me before I hit the ground, and set me back on my feet.

"Thanks." I told him , glad that it was dark and he couldn't see my blush.

Walking around at least a mile from any civilization in the pitch black of night...probably not the safest thing to do, by the way. Don't attempt it.

Jake just chuckled softly, and took his arm away from my waist, only to slip his hand into mine, and twine his fingers through mine. I smiled to myself. His hands were bigger than Edward's were, and warmer.

I just couldn't push Edward out of my mind for more than ten minutes, could I?

Somewhere, a wolf howled. I jumped. Jake laughed.

"Don't worry, that one had to be at least three miles away." Jake said.

"Yeah. Yeah, far away." I said, still somewhat jumpy. Jake let go of my hand and slung his arm over my shoulders, not breaking stride, and pulling me closer to him. Then, he reached across his body and took my left hand in his. (*1)

"Relax. I won't let anything get you." He said, half joking, half serious. And, I believed him. I relaxed into his side, keeping step with him.

"Funny how things change, huh?" Jake asked. I nodded. When we were little, we annoyed each other. Now...we just sort of clicked.

Before long, we got back to his house. We separated on the front porch, then went inside. Charlie was putting his jacket on.

"Just in time. What'd you guys do?" he asked, zipping it up. We shrugged.

"Talked." I said, hiding a yawn behind my hand. Charlie nodded.

"You ready?" he asked me as Billy wheeled up. I nodded. He said goodbye to Billy, as did I, then he walked out the door. I went to follow him, but Jake grabbed my wrist. Billy wheeled into the kitchen.

"I'll see you again soon, right?" he asked. I looked up, into his eyes. They were hopeful.

I smiled.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon. Here." I grabbed a pen of the table in the hall and turned his hand over. I wrote down my phone number on the back of it. He looked at me in...awe? I giggled softly.

"Bye, Jake." I said, then walked out to the police cruiser. He stood in the open doorway, watching us pull out. I waved, and he waved back.

"It seemed like you two were getting along well." Charlie hinted. I blushed a little, grateful for the second time that it was dark.

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***1 Okay, so that sounds really awkward when I describe it, but trust me, it's not in real life. **

**Two chapters in one day!! Aren't y'all lucky? Lol. THanks to everybody who reviewed, favorited, and alerted last chapter.**

**So...did y'all this one coming? This isn't going to be one of those fics where it takes Edward and Bella only three or four chapters to get together, don't worry. But...I won't drag it out for forever either. **

**Now, Bella hasn't forgotten about Edward this fast, but she isn't _really _using Jake either. She really does like Jake...**

**And, unfortunately, this is probably the last update for a while. I don't think I'll be able to write much until next Monday =( I'm sorry!! **

**BUT, to keep you bust until the next update, you can: A. Check out my community. B. Read my other fics. or, C. do both!!**

**And now...Review! And, sorry to sound picky, but please, please, please give me more than the regular "Update soon!" review! Mix it up a bit! Tell me your favorite part of the chapter...do you hate Jake? What are you thinking?**


	3. Chapter 3: What Just Happened?

**Bella's POV**

When I woke up, the sun was shining in through my window into my room.

I sat up, yawned, and looked at the clock, then did a double take. It was past 10:00?!

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to my closet, and threw the door open. Then, I stopped. It was Saturday. I wasn't late for school, there wasn't any school today!

I yawned and stretched, calmer now, and walked over to my window. It was sunny today, a rare thing here in Forks. There were only a few clouds in the sky today, not enough to cover the sun for more than a few minutes at a time. I would have to spend some time outside today, enjoy the day while it lasted.

I walked down to the kitchen, and stopped in front of the fridge. There was a note taped to the front of it.

"Bella, gone to yoga and lunch in Port Angeles. Your dad is at work. Love, Mom."

I smiled and dug out a carton of strawberry yogurt.. Mom was big on Yoga these days. I figured it would take here about another month to get tired of it, if that long.

I set my yogurt on the table, and then walked outside to get the newspaper. I was one of those weird teenagers who actually liked to read the paper with breakfast.

Amber's car was in Edward's driveway. Great. I walked down to the curb and grabbed the paper. I was back on porch, about to go inside to my breakfast, when the Cullen's front door slammed and Amber stormed out. She had her hand on the handle of her door when Edward flew out of the house, the door slamming shut again. Esme wasn't going to be very happy about that…

"Amber, wait!" Edward yelled, skidding to a stop next to her. Neither one of them had noticed me, so I kept quiet.

They were talking quietly enough that I couldn't hear them now, but it was still obvious that they were in the middle of a fight. Amber jabbed Edward in the chest with her pointer finger, the classic action of accusation. Edward took a step back and held up his hand, then pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. This was his way of keeping cool when he was frustrated or just plain angry. I wondered if Amber had caught on to that yet…She turned on her heel, got in her car, and drove away.

Edward just stood where she'd left him, watching her leave.

Should I have given him some time to cool down? Yeah. Should I have let him gather his thoughts before talking to him? Probably. But…he was hurting. I couldn't stand to see him hurt. I couldn't just go back into my house and pretend that nothing had happened. So, I tossed the newspaper back into the house, then crossed our yards.

Edward was still standing in the same position, his eyes closed and taking deep breaths to calm himself.

I hugged him from behind, and he jumped. He must not have heard me come up. But, he knew it was me.

He turned around in my embrace, wrapped his arms around me, and buried his face in the crook of my neck.

I held back a sigh and rubbed his back.

This was always the position I was put in. I was always the one Edward turned to when something went wrong. Whether it was because he'd gotten into a fight with his parents, failed eighth grade history, gotten in his first car wreck, or fought with his girlfriend, I was always there to lean on.

And, usually, he was the same for me. Just…not in the way I wanted him to be.

But, I could forget about that silly little feeling, right?

Of course right.

"What happened?" I asked Edward, who was now sitting at my kitchen table, stirring a cup of coffee, and looking down at like he was considering drowning himself in it. I poured myself a cup, and sat down across from him. It was quiet for a minute, and I was just thinking that I'd have to break out the Ben and Jerry's (apparently, it has the same healing affect on a few guys too) to get him to talk, when he started talking, still staring at his coffee.

"I don't even know, really. We went to dinner last night, and she spilled some of her soda on her dress. She wanted to go home and change, but I suggested that she could wear my jacket over it. It wasn't even all that noticeable, unless you stared right at her chest. Which nobody should be…" he muttered the last sentence under his breath, but I still heard it. "But, that made her mad. If you can tell my why, be my guest. So, she insisted on me taking her home, made a scene at the restaurant, and cried on the way home." He sighed, and started gulping down his coffee.

I frowned down at the table. It wasn't pure jealousy that caused me to dislike Amber. She brought Edward down. In general, he was a happy person. He liked laughing, and making stupid jokes, just like any other teenage guy. But…it seemed like he was smiling a lot loss lately. And when he did, it wasn't _my E_dward smiling. No, it was Amber's. I didn't like Amber's Edward very much…he was constantly stressed out about how to make up for something he shouldn't have to, or how to make Amber happy, or how he was going to stall on his late homework, since he was hanging out with Amber instead of studying.

I bit my lip, and took a swallow of my coffee.

"What happened this morning?" I asked. His explanation of last night's fight didn't explain what had happened a few minutes ago.

"Amber showed up at my house at about 9:30. She woke me up and started chewing me out before I even had a chance to get dressed. Something about how I was flirting with the waitress last night…which, I wasn't, I might add. And then she pulled you into it." He said, sighing. It didn't really surprise me. Amber was a bit insecure. I made her nervous, being so close to Edward.

I explained this to him. After I'd finished, he fell silent.

**Edward's POV**

I hadn't thought of things between Amber and Bella that way before. But, now that I'd heard it…it made more sense for Amber and Bella not to like each other. Well, no. It made more sense for Amber not to like Bella. I figured that Bella just didn't like Amber because Amber didn't like her. Really, if someone makes it clear they dislike you, you usually don't attempt to be good friends with them.

I didn't like this, really. I liked Amber, but I needed Bella. I mean, I _needed _her. Like I needed my right arm, or my heart.. She was a part of me. I couldn't explain it. But I knew that if the world turned its back on me, Bella would be right there with me.

"What are you going to do?" Bella asked softly. That was the one question I didn't want her to ask. I bit my lip.

On the one hand, Amber made me happy. On the other, she made me miserable. It would probably be better for me to just break up with her, but I didn't really want to. I kind of liked having her around. It was nice to have someone to hold, to snuggle up with on the couch and watch a movie with, and someone to kiss.

I was getting a headache. I needed to stop over thinking things.

"I don't know." I told Bella, getting up and setting my cup in the sink.

"You know what would make you feel better?" Bella asked with a small smile. When I saw her smiling, trying so hard to cheer me up, I felt my mood lift, just a little. It was hard to resist Bella's charm.

"What?" I asked, wanting her to clue me in.

"Making sure that the Volvo's spotless." Bella said. As usual, she was right. Taking care of my car did make me happy.

"Do you want to help me?" I asked, smiling a bit. Bella nodded.

"I just need to change first." She said. "I'll meet you outside in ten." Then, she went up the stairs, leaving me alone. I walked back outside, and across our yards. I went inside my house. My mom was dusting in the living room. She stepped forwards, her arms open. I accepted the hug, and kissed her cheek.

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom. I'm going to go wash my car with Bella." Mom nodded, and let me go. She had a knowing look in her eyes that made me curious, but I didn't ask. Instead, I went up to my room and changed into some junky clothes, grabbed my keys off my desk, and went back outside. I got the cleaning supplies together, then sat down on the porch steps to wait for Bella.

It didn't take long for her to appear. She was now wearing a pair of jean shorts and one of my baseball jersey's from a few seasons back. Her hair was in two braids, and she was wearing her glasses again. I liked the glasses; they looked good on her.

Whoa. When did she get to be so…pretty? No. No, not pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. And she wasn't even trying. She wasn't wearing any make up, or shoes for that matter, and she was wearing an old, junky shirt of mine that was too big for her. She'd really grown up. Bella wasn't the little girl I used to know anymore. She was a woman.

Weird…

**Bella's POV**

"What?" I asked Edward. He was just staring at me, like he was seeing me for the first time. It was a little weird. He shook his head and blinked.

"What? Oh, nothing." He stood up. "Let's get started." I nodded, as he went around the side of the house to turn the hose on. I set my phone on the porch, with the hope that it would be out of reach of the hose.

Edward sprayed down the Volvo, and I got a bucket of soapy water filled up, and started scrubbing down the front of the car.

That's when the cold jet of water hit me. I squealed, and jumped out of the way. Edward was grinning at me, and, for a moment, I saw _my_ Edward come out again. I grabbed one of the spare sponges floating in the bucket of soapy water, and flung it at him. It hit him in the chest, and he laughed before spraying me with the hose again.

And, for a few minutes, we were seven years old again.

**Edward's POV**

Bella and I were drying off my car when Bella's phone started ringing.

"Can you get that for me?" Bella asked, wiping down the front of the Volvo.

"Sure." I replied, and grabbed her phone off the porch.

"Hello?" I answered it.

"Um…hi. Is this Bella's phone?" It was a guy's voice, it wasn't her dad, and it obviously wasn't me. So, who would it be? I was confused.

"Yeah…who are you?" I asked. Bella looked up, a "_what are you doing?" _Look on her face.

"Jake. Who are you?" he sounded just as confused as I was.

"Edward." I answered. Bella set her towel down on the hood of my car and walked towards me, her hand held out for her phone.

"Okay, look, Edward, can I just talk to Bella please?" This Jake guy asked, sounding a little aggravated. I put the phone in Bella's hand, and went back to my car, but kept an ear open. I wanted to find out who this Jake was. I didn't know any Jakes. And, more importantly, what was his and Bella's relationship?

**Bella's POV**

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Bella." I smiled. I hadn't expected Jake to actually call, but I was glad he did. I caught Edward sneak a glance at me as I sat down on the porch steps.

"Jake! Hi. What's up?" I said.

"Eh. Not too much. Look, Bella, I was kinda wondering…if you're not doing anything later on, do you want to hang out?" I felt my smile grow a little. He wanted to hang out with me!

"Yeah, sure. That'd be great. Where and when?" I asked. Edward turned around, leaning against his car, his full attention on me now. Why was he looking at me like that? I shot him a confused look and listened to Jake.

"How about…your house. And you can name the time." He suggested. Sounded good to me.

"Okay…do you want to come over for lunch?" I asked. It was a little after 11:30. Lunch was good.

"Yeah, lunch sounds good. I'll be over in about...thirty minutes?"

"See you then." I said, smiling. As I slid the phone back in my pocket, I looked up to meet…Edward's glare?

"What's your problem?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Who was that?" he asked, sounding a little annoyed. No, annoyed wasn't the right word.

Edward was jealous?

"Jacob Black." I answered, even though I knew that wasn't what Edward was really asking.

"Wait, _Jacob Black? _That was Jacob Black? The same Jacob Black that terrorized you when we were little?" Edward asked, sounding both angry and incredulous. "Whoa, was he the 'friend' you were hanging out with in La Push last night?" the volume of his voice had been steadily increasing, until he was yelling at me.

Edward never yelled at me. Ever. What was happening to us? I stood up, and crossed my arms as well.

"Yeah, I hung out with him last night. What does it matter? It's not like I was blowing you off or anything. He's changed." I defended, in a slightly louder voice than I usually used..

"Oh, yeah, he's magically changed, has he?" Edward said, sarcastically. The words stung, like he'd slapped me. Tears pricked my eyes, making me madder.

"Yes, he did! He's nice, and sweet, and funny, and _I like him!_" I yelled at Edward, my voice catching in my throat. "Why do you care? I haven't said a damn thing about all the idiots you've dated these past couple years. Look at Amber! She's tearing you to pieces! You're going to end up with a broken heart, just like always." I took a deep breath as tears started rolling down my cheeks. They were angry tears. Edward just stood there in front of me, his arms limp by his sides, his face a mixture of emotions.

"Why don't I get my chance at happiness?" I asked softly, then turned around and started walking back to my house. It was silent between the two yards as I climbed the steps up to my porch. I wanted Edward to stop me, to come running, to give me a big hug and tell me he was sorry.

But he didn't. I slammed my door shut behind me, then slid down against it, my knees curled up to my chest.

"What just happened?" I asked the empty house.

**Edward's POV**

I watched her walk away, in tears, and felt the urge to do something, _anything!_ It killed me to see her cry, but knowing that I'd been the one to make Bella cry…it felt like I just got dog piled by a pro football team.

Her door slammed.

"I'm sorry." I said to her, knowing that she couldn't hear me. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. You're my best friend." It sounded wrong. Bella, my best friend. I repeated it to myself over and over again. It just seemed…wrong.

What was up with me today?

* * *

**Yay!! I finally got this up!! Sorry it took so long...I just got home today, and, like I thought, no internet access where I was. But, it's here now! Yay! I'll try to get chapter four up soon, but I don't have it written yet. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!**

**Edward's jealous and he doesn't even know it, lol. Typical male. Ugh.**

**I switched POV a lot in this chapter, I know. It's my writing style, I'm afraid. Some people love it, some hate it, but I like writing this way. **

**I lot of people like my Jake! I'm so glad =) I love him, personally. **

**Things are going to take some time, okay? Just be patient...things don't happen overnight in real life, and they won't in my story. But, I'm not planning on this being a super long story, probably not over fifteen chapters, so...it won't tale too terribly long. Hang with me!!**

**Did you know that you can get a third degree sun burn? A friend of mine went to Costa Rica and came back with one. Ouch. **

**Reviews make me write faster =)**


	4. Chapter 4: Somebody Get Me a GPS

**Bella's POV**

Eventually, I moved from my spot by the door and walked up to my room. I changed into a pair of jeans and a red tank top, then went into my bathroom and washed the tear stains off my face. I walked back into my room and sighed, looking around. I had about five minutes until Jake was supposed to be here. I wanted perfume...I had none. I wanted a bit of makeup...once again, I didn't have any. I'd always been a bit of a tomboy. I looked in my mirror, and tapped my chin with my forefinger, then smiled at my reflection. I put on a surprised face, then copied Kevin from "Home Alone" when he puts on the aftershave. I laughed out loud at myself. What was I doing?

The house phone rang and I raced to answer it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hi...is Renee there?" It was a man's voice, very deep.

"Um, no...I'm sorry. Can I take a message?" I asked, a little confused.

"Could you tell her that John called for her?" The man asked politely, but he sounded a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah...sure...bye." I said, and hung up quickly. I stood by the phone, staring at it. Who was John? I didn't remember Mom having any friends named John, and if he'd been a doctor or something, he would've said so.

I shrugged, and the doorbell rang. I walked down the stairs carefully, then trotted to the door. I opened it, and there was Jake.

"Hey, Bells." He said, stepping inside as I held the door open for him. Without warning, he pulled me into a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground. I laughed and hugged him back.

"Hi, Jake." I said when he put me down.

It felt like we'd been friends for years. Jake helped me make sandwiches, (on for me, three for him) and smeared peanut butter on my nose.

Eventually we settled in front of the TV, settling on the floor in front of the couch, and started a movie. I was surprised by his pick, The Princess Bride. He kept quoting the lines to me, making me laugh at random moments.

"Is this a kissing book?" he asked along with the little boy, putting on a disgusted face. A minute later, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, making me blush.

That was my favorite.

The movie was half over. Jake's arm was around me, and I was leaning into him. I heard the front door open.

"Bella?" My mom called. I sat up, then stood up.

"In here, Mom." I said, just a bit louder than usual. Jake stood as well.

"Hey Bell...Oh. Hello..." Mom said, walking into the room, her eyes locked on Jake.

"Mom, you remember Jacob Black, right?" I asked, a little uncomfortably. Jake reached up and rubbed the back of h is neck.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan." He said, giving my mom a smile.

"You're Billy's son, aren't you?" Mom asked. Jake nodded. "Well...I'll just be going up and showering off. Have fun, kids." She said, giving me a look that told me she'd want the details later. I sighed inwardly, and nodded. She was halfway upstairs, and Jake had sat down again before I remembered.

"Oh, yeah, Mom. Some guy name John called for you." I told her, sitting back down. My mom's footsteps halted and there was a moment of silence.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Honey." She said stiffly, then continued up the stairs.

Jake and I finished the movie, and he helped me clean up.

"Do you like motorcycles?" Jake asked as he finished drying the last plate. I lifted myself onto the counter next to him.

"I don't know. I've never been on one." I said, curious about where he was going with this. He smiled.

"Well, do you want to take a ride on one?" he asked. My eyes widened. Half of me was terrified at the thought, mostly because my parents had spent years teaching me how unsafe they were. The other half was saying "Hell yeah! Go for it!"

I decided to go with Hell Yeah girl.

"Yeah, that would be really cool." I said, smiling back at him.

"Go put on some shoes then." He said, lifting me off the counter. I went upstairs and pulled on a pair of sneakers, then raced back down to meet Jake. He held out his hand to me at the bottom, and I took it.

"Me and Jake are going out for awhile, Mom. See you later!" I yelled as I followed Jake out the door.

"Wowsa." I said, stopping on my porch. Parked in my driveway was the best looking motorcycle I'd ever seen. The paint on it was dark blue.

Jake laughed, and patted the seat of the bike.

"It's pretty nice, isn't it?" he asked, smiling down at it. I just nodded. I felt eyes on my back, and turned. There was Edward, at his mailbox. He stood and stared for a moment more, then, like he was making a impulse move, walked towards us.

**Edward's POV**

There was no way Bella was getting on that bike. If she was with me, it would be another story. But, it was Jacob Black who she was with, not me. Not me...

Not a chance.

I stopped next to Bella. Now that I was here...I didn't know what I was going to say, or do.

_"Nope. You're not going for a ride on that thing." And then I slung her over my shoulder and carried her back into her house, where the most dangerous thing was herself, which I was used to protecting her from. _

Yeah, I'm sure that would've gone well. Since I knew for a fact that Bella had a good right hook when she was mad (I taught her myself) and that she wasn't afraid to bite me, I decided against trying it.

What I _did _do was slung my arm causally over her shoulders and ruffled her hair.

"Hey. I'm Edward." I said, sticking my hand out to Jake. He shook it, stiffly.

"Jake." He stated.

"Edward!" Bella complained, smoothing down her hair. I chuckled and was tempted to mess it up again.

"As I was saying...Well, Bella, do you want a ride?" Jake asked, pointedly ignoring me.

"Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great." Bella said enthusiastically. She shrugged my arm off her shoulders in one easy move.

"You know, Bells, you're parents wouldn't really like that..." I pointed out, glancing from her to the bike, which I myself was itching to take out for a spin. Not that I would admit it.

"I know. But, my mom's off in her own little world, and you're not going to tell Charlie, are you?" she asked, turning to me with her arms crossed over her chest. I scoffed.

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked. Yes, I was being a jackass. I know. Bella rose an eyebrow at me and tapped her chin.

"Oh, I don't know...may be because I might just slip up and tell Esme about the time I found a pack of cigarettes in your car?" she suggested, putting on an innocent face. Innocent? Yeah, right.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

" You wouldn't." I said, knowing very well that she would. "I only smoked two of them anyways." I added as an after thought.

**Bella's POV**

I felt Jake's hands rest on my shoulders and knew he was standing directly behind me now. He was laughing softly.

"You know I would. I told her about you listening to your ipod at your cousin's wedding last year, remember?" Edward groaned.

"You win. I won't tell your parents." He said, sounding reluctant. His eyes moved to Jake.

"If you bring her back hurt, I will personally kill you." Edward threatened. I rolled my eyes.

"Edward." I complained, stretching out his name. Jake laughed it off, and handed me the helmet.

"You take this." He said.

"Hey! I gotta look out for my little sister!" Edward said, ruffling my hair again. Ouch. Slap in the face number two!

**Edward's POV**

As soon as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. Bella wasn't my little sister. Not in any way, shape, or form. I might've thought of her like that when we were younger, but...something was different now. I don't know what happened, but I definitely didn't think of Bella as my little sister anymore.

But...if that _wasn't _the way I thought of her...what was?

Bella laughed, but it sounded forced. And her eyes were hurt. Hurt? Why would that hurt her?

"You know, Edward, why don't you just go call Amber and make up with her or something?" she suggested, and I could hear the unspoken words at the end of the sentence. _"I don't care any more." _

It's official. I'm hopelessly lost. Somebody get me a GPS.

**Bella's POV**

I jammed the helmet that Jake had handed me onto my head and clicked the strap into place. The visor was down, and I was glad. This way neither of them could really see how much that had hurt.

I didn't care any more. I'd been hoping for something that would never happen. So, I would be happy with Jake, and Edward could go off and date every girl in the school, for all I cared.

At least, that what I kept telling myself...

"Okay, wrap your arms around my waist." Jake ordered, starting the motorcycle. I did, but only loosely. I felt a little weird doing it. But, Jake laughed and grabbed my hands, making me hand on tighter.

"I don't want you to fall off." He said. "Hang on as tight as you want; you won't hurt me. Oh, and lean into the turns with me." he said, looking over his shoulder at me. I nodded nervously, and as he lifted his feet off the cement and steered the bike onto the street, buried my face in his back. So I was a little scared...

"Here we go!" Jake said to me over the roar of the bike. I lifted my head up and opened my eyes....

We were flying. The pieces of hair that weren't stuck in the helmet were flying around my head, and Jake's hair was whipping in the wind as well.

I had no idea how fast we were going, but I knew that we definitely didn't want to drive past my dad right now. There was no way Jake was going the speed limit.

Jake drove out of town, down the road that led to Port Angeles. It was almost always deserted, and the perfect place to speed.

I watched the wall of trees fly by. Jake was a good driver, and I knew I didn't have to worry. I relaxed my grip on Jake just a tiny bit, and let my head rest against his back once again.

Flying is fun.

We drove half way to Port Angeles and back.

"That was amazing!" I half yelled as Jake helped me off the bike. He laughed as I yanked the helmet off.

"Yeah, it is pretty awesome." Jake agreed, smiling proudly and taking the helmet from me and setting on the seat, then put his hands in his pockets.

"It was like flying." I told him, smiling. Jake laughed.

"It's is kind of like flying. I'm glad you liked it so much." He said.

Then, he reached down and lifted my chin gently, and kissed me.

His lips were soft and warm, and moved gently against mine. My eyes closed automatically, and I kissed him back, following my instinct. My arms went around his neck, and his hands moved down to rest at my hips.

After a minute, we separated for air.

"Wowsa." Jake said, grinning. I laughed, agreeing with him.

"Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?" I asked, suddenly shy again.

"If you want to be." Jake said, sounding hopeful. I smiled.

"I want to be." I said, and Jake kissed me again.

Jake left ten minutes later, after promising to call me tomorrow and giving me one last kiss. He zoomed down the street and waved back at me at the stop sign. I waved back, and then he was gone.

I stood outside for another few minutes, my hands in my pockets. The sun was starting to go down, and I shivered.

I was happy. Really, I was. Jake made me happy. But as soon as he left, in the back of my mind, I remembered Edward.

_"I gotta look out for my little sister!" _echoed in my head. He thought of me as a little sister. A best friend. One of the guys. Nothing more.

_It's time to let him go, Bells. _I told myself, glancing at Edward's bedroom window. _You can be happy with Jake. _I reminded myself, and walked up the driveway and into my house.

Monday. I don't like Mondays, not at all. But, since Jake was going to pick me up after school, I had a bright spot in my day, at least.

Edward, Amber and I drove to school together again. I was in the back seat again, blasting Kelly Clarkson on my Ipod to drown out Amber telling Edward about the shopping trip she and her "best friend" had gone on in Port Angeles yesterday.

I was wearing a pair of jean shorts with a red pair of leggings on underneath them, and a red tee shirt, nothing out of the ordinary.

I started humming along softly to Miss Independent as Edward pulled into the parking lot. We piled out of the car and Amber kissed Edward before flouncing off to her first class of the day.

I started walking towards History, but after a few steps, I was tugged back to walk in step with Edward, by my belt loops. I glared at him.

"It seems like you've made up." I commented, crossing my arms as we made our way through the parking lot. Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah." Edward said, looking down at his feet as he walked. I stumbled, and he automatically steadied me. "It seemed like you and Jake were getting along well." he added. I felt myself blushing. Had he seen me and Jake kissing last night?

"He asked me to be his girlfriend." I said softly, smiling a little.

"Good for you." Edward said his voice harsh and cold. I gaped at him, but he didn't even look up. I stopped walking, but he didn't. I reached forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him around to face me.

"What, am I supposed to let you be the only guy in my life forever? You have a girlfriend, and she's not me." I said in a low, angry voice. "I didn't sign a contract saying that I have not have my own life and wait for you to make a decision just because you don't know what you want yet. You don't own me." It was giving away a lot more of what was really going on in my head than I wanted to, but I was past the point of caring.

Edward stared down at me, unmoving. His eyes were expressionless, making it impossible for me to know what he was thinking.

"Stop taking me for granted." I finished, and walked away.

**Edward's POV**

_How does she do that? _I thought, watching Bella storm away. _How does she get into head like that? _

_"You don't know what you want."_ She'd said. How did she know that? Why did she read me so well? It was annoying sometimes.

Did I take Bella for granted? No, no of course not. Well, maybe...

I hate it when she's right. Now, where's that brick wall to bang my head against?

**Bella's POV**

I walked as calmly as possible into the History class room, and sat down at my desk.

"Settle down, please!" Mr. Carver yelled over the buzz of chatter in the room. Slowly, people got into their seats and stopped talking. The door banged open and Edward dashed in, and slid into his seat next to me.

"See me after class please, Mr. Cullen." Mr. Carver said calmly, and Edward groaned and slumped down in his seat. _Don't feel sorry for him! You're mad at him, remember? _I told myself, frowning a little. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Mr. Carver. There was a girl next to him, one I'd never seen before. She was very short, probably 4'11 or maybe 5'0. She had short, spiky, black hair and bright blue eyes. She gave off an air of cheerfulness, like she was a mini-sunshine.

She was wearing a pair of red jeans and a white tee shirt with smiley face on it, adding to the first impression of sunny-ness.

"Class, this is our new student, Mary-"

"Alice!" the girl interrupted in a voice that sounded like bells. Mr. Carver smiled a little before continuing. Whoa. She made Mr. Carver smile.

"Excuse me, _Alice _Brandon. Please help to make her feel welcome. Now, Ms. Brandon, take a seat next to Miss Swan, please. Miss Swan, raise your hand." I did, and Alice walked, no, _danced _down the aisle to the empty seat next to me.

"Hi! We're going to be best friends, I know it." She said with a knowing smile, and then pulled out a notebook and pencil.

Okay then. I just met my new best friend.

* * *

**Ugh. Raise your hand if you hate writer's block. **

**So, there's quite a bit going on in this chapter...hope I didn't confuse anybody. **

**Please don't hate my Jake. Things will work out in the end, I promise. Patience is key. **

**Yes, Edward is an idiot. *sighes, shakes head* But, he's getting there. Slowly. It shouldn't take him too long. **

**Alice is here!! Yay. I figured Bella needed a girl friend, so here's Alice! It's going to be fun writing her...**

**Who's John? We'll see. In time. **

**This story has 48 reviews, 602 hits, 31 favorites, and 39 alerts. Wow!! We're only on the fourth chapter!! Thank y'all soooo much!!**

**Alright a few last reminders....first, check out my community!! So many great stories are in there! If you haven't stopped by it, you're really missing out. Second, please take the time to check out my other fics? It'll make me really happy...and, lastly, Review!!!**


	5. Chapter 5: When it Rains, it Pours

**Bella's POV**

After my last class of the day, Gym, I trudged out into the rain, my hood up. I was almost never in a good mood right after school, since Gym was my last class, but it was worse today. I stood in the wrong place in basketball and one of the guys ran into me, and fell on me.

_"Oh my God. I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" the blonde boy had asked me, scrambling to his feet then pulling me up. I didn't recognize him..._

_"Yeah." I winced, feeling the tender spot on the back of my head. That would be a bruise, and there was probably one on my side too. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. He smiled at me in a friendly way before getting back into the game._

"Bella!" A musical voice yelled. It was Alice, and she was dancing towards me with the same unfamiliar boy next to her, holding her hand. She stopped in front of me.

"Bella, this is my boyfriend, Jasper Hale. Jasper, this is Bella." Jasper and I looked at each other and we laughed. Alice frowned, obviously unhappy to be out of the loop.

"We ran into each other in Gym. Literally." I informed her, rubbing the bump on the back of my head absent mindedly.

When I looked more closely, I could tell that, the way Jasper was standing, he was shielding Alice from the slight rain. It wasn't raining hard, really, but it was windy.

Did Jasper move with Alice? I was sure I'd never seen him before...

My thoughts and our conversation was interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle, making us all look towards it.

Jake was making his way through the parking lot on his bike. He had the helmet that I was wearing the day before on, and windbreaker. I smiled. In a minute, he stopped in front of us, and got off. He flipped the visor up and smiled at me.

"Hey, Hon. Ready? I brought you a jacket and a helmet." Alice turned to me with her mouth open. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at her.

"Jake, these are my friends Alice and Jasper. Alice, Jasper, this is my boyfriend, Jake." I introduced. Jasper and Jake nodded at each, and Alice waved cheerfully.

"Why are we all standing in the rain? I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Bye!" She waved her fingers at me and then blew a kiss my way. I laughed as she skipped away, Jasper in tow.

"Here." Jake said, handing me a black wind breaker. I pulled it on over my head, then he handed me the second helmet, just like his except pink.

"It was all I could find okay? Pink's not so bad..." Jake defended at the look I gave him. I laughed and jammed it onto my head.

People were staring as they walked by us. I hung on tight to Jake, laying my head against his broad, strong back as he maneuvered his way out of the parking lot. We passed Edward, making his way to the Volvo. He watched us go by, but I couldn't read his expression. Amber was hanging off his arm.

I squeezed Jake a little tighter as he speed towards La Push. We'd agreed that we would spend the day at his house this time. I'd warned my Mom I wouldn't be home right after school, so I was free.

Jake let go of one handlebar and covered my hands with one of his, warming them, if only for a minute. He wasn't driving nearly as fast as he was yesterday, since the roads were wet.

We finally got to his house, and he pulled into the garage.

"You okay? You're probably soaked..." he mused, pulling off his helmet and putting it on a table. I put mine next to his.

"It's okay." I said, wrapping my arms around myself. Jake looked down at me for a minute, then took my hand and lead me out of the garage and to the house.

"You can change into some of my clothes and let yours dry off." He said as we walked inside.

"We're home, Dad!" He yelled, then led me up the stairs and into his room.

"Um. Sorry about the mess..." he muttered, quickly snatching a few pairs of boxers and throwing them into the hamper. I laughed softly. His room was pretty small, and very messy, but cozy. I liked it.

Jake rummaged through a drawer in his dresser, then tossed me a pair of basketball shorts, then a tee shirt.

"They'll be big but..."

"They're fine." I assured him. We stood there for a moment, facing each other, then Jake mumbled,

"I'm just...I'll wait outside." And shut the door behind him. I stripped and changed into his clothes quickly, feeling rather weird, changing into a guy's clothes in his room...

I rolled the waist on the shorts four times, then pulled his shirt over my head. I looked like I was drowning in them, but they would do. His shirt smelled good too.

Jake knocked.

"Safe?" he called through the door. I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me.

"Yeah." I said, and he came in. He'd changed into a different pair of jeans already, but his shirt was still wet and sticking to him. I let myself stare for just a few seconds. No harm in that.

He had muscles. Lots of them.

He started digging in a drawer again, and he pulled out another shirt.

"Do you mind if I..." he shook the shirt, and looked down at himself. I jumped.

"What? Oh, yeah, sure." I said, and turned around. Jake laughed.

"Silly Bella." He said, but more to himself than me.

Thirty minutes later we were sitting in his garage, drinking warm orange soda. I was sitting in the passengers seat of an old '94 mustang GT that Jake was working on fixing up. He still had a ways to go on it. He was working on it now, and talking to me as well.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do next year. I could go to the community college here, or I could probably get a job working on cars. Either way, I'm not going anywhere. What about you?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it too much, really. I think it's just starting to sink in that this is really my last year of highschool." Jake stopped what he was doing to take a drink of his soda. He smiled at me.

"You look cute in my clothes." He said, grinning. I blushed, and looked down. A minute later Jake went back to whatever he was doing with the car's parts. I was clueless as to what exactly he was doing.

"What do you like to do?" he asked, his eyes on whatever was in his hands. I rested my head in my hands and thought for a minute.

"I like to draw. And I like to read." I answered, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Art major?" he asked, picking up a small screwdriver. I was quiet again.

"Maybe. What about you? Is this what you're planning on? Building cars?" I asked, looking around his garage. Jake stopped what he was doing and looked around as well.

"Yeah. I love doing it, so why should I try to figure something else out?" it was rhetorical question. I didn't have to answer, so I didn't.

For several minutes I just sat there, sipping on my soda, and watched Jake work and listened to the rain on roof of the garage. It was claming. Soothing...

The next thing I knew, Jake was gently shaking me awake.

"Hey. Bella, you have to wake up so I can take you home." Jake said as my eyes opened. He stood up as I stretched.

"What time is it?" I asked, standing up as well. The rain had stopped by now.

"It's a little after six. You've been out for awhile." Jake said.

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry, Jake!" I apologized, surprised. Jake just smiled, like he understood.

"It's okay. Let's get you home."

**JBBSECABJWEMRH**

It had been two weeks since Jake and I started dating. Alice and I were close friends already, just like she said we would be. Things were back to normal between Edward and I, for the most part.

Now, I was home by myself. It was a little after 8:00. Charlie was working the late shift, and Renee was "with a friend." So, I was sitting in my PJs, a pair of purple plaid pants and a blue tank top, eating my dinner in my room.

I stared out my window as I finished eating, my eyes on the tree house in my yard. There was no fence between the Cullen and Swan houses, there hadn't been for years. There was no need for one. So, really, the tree house was in both our yards. Charlie and Carlisle built it for me and Edward when we were seven. I hadn't been in it for years...

I stood up, zipped up my purple jacket and slid on a pair of vans, then I headed down the stairs and out the back door, flashlight in hand.

The beam of light was always a few steps ahead of me as I crossed the open space between the back door and the tree house. Soon, I stood under it, looking up at it and wondering if the old rope ladder would still hold my weight.

I grabbed onto it and tugged on it a few times. It seemed sturdy enough.

I started climbing up it, my tiny flashlight held in my teeth. I made it all the way to the top, a good ten feet from the ground, and heaved myself through the trap door.

I looked around, shining my flashlight into all the corners. It was dusty in here.

There was the old desk in the far right corner, and the bean bag chairs were in opposite corners. I plopped down on the yellow one. That one was always mine.

_"Bella, I'm sorry, okay?" Edward pleaded with me, pacing back and forth across the wooden floor. We were ten. I huffed and dragged my chair away from him. _

_"Go away." I said coldly, turning my back to him. _I was mad because he'd gotten a better grade on his Math test than I had. How stupid.

_"I said I was sorry, okay?" He stood in front of me again, his arms folded over his chest. _

_Edward leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. It shocked me, and I was too stunned to move for a minute. But, when I came to my sense, I pushed him away. _

_"What are you doing?! Ew!" I yelled, wiping my mouth. Edward shoved his hands into his pockets, looking sheepish. _

_"Kissing you." He answered, looking at the floor. I rolled my eyes. _

_"Yeah, I got that much. But _why?_" I asked. I was standing up now. He was just barely taller than I was. Edward scuffed his shoe on the floor. _

_"I dunno. Isn't that what you do when you love someone?" he asked, innocently. _I sighed, looking around the room again. Things were so simple when you were ten.

_"You love me?" I asked, my anger fading away. It was stupid anyways. Edward had always been the smarter one out of the two of us. _

_"Yeah. Of course I do. You're my best friend. I love you more than anyone else in the world, and I always will." Edward said, kicking at the floor and looking down again. _

"Bella?" Orange light filled the room as Edward squeezed himself through the trap door, carrying on old camping lantern.

"Hey." I said quietly, pulling my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

"What are you doing up here?" Edward asked, looking around, and setting his lamp on the small card table in the middle of the room. He turned in a circle, looking the place over just like I had, then pulled his old chair, which was red, closer to mine and sat down, facing me. I shrugged.

"Reminiscing." I answered, glancing at a few of the picture taped onto the walls.

"This is the place for it, huh?" Edward asked, his voice as quiet as mine. I nodded. My throat was tight, and I tried to swallow the lump in my throat without success. I turned my face away from him and wiped at my eyes with heel of my hand, hoping he wouldn't notice. Edward hated it when I cried.

No such luck.

"Hey." He said, leaning forward and catching my hand. "What's up?" his eyes bored into mine, as if he was trying to read my mind.

"Nothing." I said, but it came out twisted as I choked on a sob. Edward sighed and held out his arms.

"Come here and tell me the truth." He said, and I moved so that he was holding me.

"We've grown up." I said, keeping careful control of my voice. Edward nodded. "It's like, I've spent all my time wishing that I was older, and that I could be out on my own, and all that, and now that I _am _older, and that I'm so close to being on my own...I'm scared." I said, and my voice shook as I admitted it. Edward held me a little tighter.

_This is how it's supposed to be. Bella and Edward. Not Edward and Amber, not Bella and Jake. _A voice in my head reminded me. I pushed it to the very back of my mind and refused to think about that.

"I know." Edward said, staring at the wall. "It is scary." He looked down at me. "But, we'll be okay. When we're together, everything just falls into place." He said.

Does he not hear what's coming out of his own mouth? "_When we're together, everything just falls into place." _

Sometimes I wonder if it's not so much that he can't see what's in front of his face, but if he does see and he's just in denial about it. Who knows?

"Do you remember the time you kissed me?" I asked suddenly, sitting up straighter. Edward looked surprised, and loosened his hold on me a bit. I wiggled my way out of his arms and back into my own chair.

"I think so. Why?" Edward asked, smiling to himself a little.

"Do you still love me?" I asked. Sometimes I wonder if the filter between my brain and my mouth just happens to get turned off sometimes...

"Do I still love you?" Edward repeated, obviously not expecting the question. I nodded. "Of course I still love you! I love more than anyone else in the world! Bella, you're my life! That's like asking if I could live without my-" he cut off abruptly. He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time, then said in a whisper,

"My heart."

**Edward's POV**

I am such an idiot. Bella was my heart. She was my whole life. When we're together, things just fall into place. I love her...as more than my best friend. I _love _her.

I leaned forward and kissed her. Just like that. I forgot about Amber. Bella...she was all that mattered.

Bella kissed me back, unlike the last time I'd kissed her. But, then, just like last time, she pushed me away.

Her tears brimmed over, and she covered her mouth with her hands, taking deep, shuddering breaths as she backed away from me. She looked horrified.

"Bella?" I stood up as her back hit the wall, and she slid down against it, sobbing. No, no, no. I had to fix this, anyway I could. I couldn't stand to see her like this.

I crouched down in front of her, keeping about a foot between us.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Please, stop crying...I'm sorry."

**Bella's POV**

My mind was racing as I stood up. I couldn't get my thoughts organized.

"I have to go. I-" I started down the rope ladder. "I'm sorry." I said, meaning it, and climbed down as fast as I could, and ran back to my house. I locked the back door, and made my way up to my room in a daze.

I flopped down on my bed and just lay there, staring at my ceiling.

Edward kissed me. I kissed him back.

_No! This wasn't supposed to happen. I was over him...I was happy with Jake, no I am happy with Jake. What am I supposed to do now? _I thought.

I tried to make sense of what was going on in my head for several long minutes before I heard a car door outside. I looked at the clock. It was still too early for Charlie, so it had to be my mom. I heard the front door unlock, so I left my room and went down the stairs to greet her. Plus, I was thirsty. I got the bottom of the stairs, and stopped dead in my tracks.

There was my mom, locking lips with a man who was definitely _not _Charlie.

It probably would've been better to go back up the stairs, very quietly, and pretend I didn't see that until I could talk to my mom alone. But, I didn't do that.

"What the hell, Mom!" I yelled, crossing my arms over chest and glaring at her. Renee gasped as she let go of the man.

"Bella! I thought you would be asleep by now..." she said guiltily.

"Renee, I'm just going to go home now...I'll talk to you tomorrow." The man said, and I instantly recognized the voice. It was that John guy. I spun around and marched back up the stairs, and slammed my door without saying anything else to Renee. I walked in circles around my room, tugging on my hair, grinding my teeth together.

"What next?" I said out loud. "Got anything else to throw at me?" I asked the air. I heard Renee's soft footsteps outside the door and I yelled at her to leave me alone. After a minute, I heard my parent's bedroom door shut.

I sat down on my bed, my mind racing for the second time that night.

Now, under normal circumstances, I would've picked up my phone and called Edward, or even gone over to his house to talk.

But, that was out of the question for tonight.

So, I called Jake instead.

"Hello?" It was Billy, not Jake.

"Hi, Billy. Can I talk to Jake?" I asked politely, carefully controlling my voice.

"Um...no." the answer shocked me. I could feel my jaw drop as Billy went on. "I'm sorry, Bella, but Jake's sick. I'll tell him you called though, okay?" Jake was sick? I saw him yesterday...he seemed fine then...

"Oh. Okay. Thanks Billy..." I said. He hung up almost before I finished talking. I stared at the phone in my hands. _Well, I guess that answers that question..._

**JBBSECABJWEMRH**

Edward and I all but avoided each other at school the next day. I hung around Alice, mostly, and listened to her Jabber away happily for three periods before she noticed that something was off with me.

She pulled me aside right after our third class of the day.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, pulling me into a quieter corner. Today she was wearing a blue plaid skirt that went down to her knees, and an emerald green tank top with a darker blue tee shirt underneath it. I looked down at her for a long minute before answering.

"A. Edward kissed me last night." Alice gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide.

"Are you serious!?" she whisper-yelled. I held my hand.

"Wait, I'm not done yet. I found out my mom is having an affair-" Alice swore here. "And, Jake's either avoiding me or he's actually sick." I finished. Alice just stared at me. "Exactly." I said, starting towards my next class. Alice followed.

"Wow. Although, I think Jake has to actually be sick. That kid loves you." Alice said bluntly. I gaped at her. "What?" she asked, defensive.

"Alice, me and Jake have been dating for a grand total of two weeks and we pretty much hated each other for years before that and you're saying that he loves me?" I shook my head.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Plus, picking on a girl is one of the ways that boys show their affection when their little kids. He probably actually had a crush on you." she said seriously. I shrugged and put my hands into the pocket of my hoodie.

"And Edward kissed you? Finally!" Alice said, rather loudly. I clamped my hand over her mouth.

"No need to shout..." I muttered as she glared at me. I let go of her quickly as I felt her mouth open. I wouldn't put it past her to bite me...

"It's so obvious that you two are supposed to be together." Alice said, a little more quietly this time. I didn't say anything. How was I supposed to answer that? I knew it was true.

"What are you going to do?" Alice asked after a minute. I sighed.

"I don't have any idea." I admitted, looking down at my feet. "I like Jacob, really I do, but I love Edward...I don't know what I'm supposed to do." I said quietly. Alice hooked her arm through mine.

"I don't know either." She admitted sadly.

* * *

**Longest chapter yet!! yay =)**

**So, there we go. Things are starting to get exciting...And, now we know for sure who John is. A lot of y'all guessed correctly anyways, though. **

**My plans for this story have changed a bit. But, I'm not going to spoil my plans for it =D Hopefully, it will go over okay...**

**So, something's been bugging me lately. the past couple days I've been getting unsigned reviews with all these questions being asked in them, along with other things, on both this story and my other main fic, _Speechless._ I _cannot _reply to y'alls reviews if you don't sign in. And, a few of them came off as a little rude to me too, and I would've liked to respond to them, but I couldn't. **

**One of those ones was written by a person who seemed to have been offened by the whole blonde jokes thing with Amber in the first chapter. This is probably something I should say anyways. **

**I have nothing against blondes. I don't think that just because you're blonde you have to be ditzy and shallow and not be able to apprieciate a blonde joke. Some of the most blonde people I know aren't actually blonde. **

**Oh, yeah, and I just happen to blonde as well....**

**Anyways, sorry for that little rant. I'm just a little frustrated right now. But, my point was, if you want to be rude to me, or ask any questions, you need to sign in so that I can get back to you. **

**THank you so much to all of my readers and reviewers!! You guys are amazing =) **

**One last thing. I'm going on a week long mission trip on Sunday, I'm not sure if I'll be able to update before then. So, this might be the last update for awhile. Just a heads up. **

**Now....I'd love it if everyone dropped me a review =D**


	6. Chapter 6:Say What?

**Read AN of chapter 7, please. **


	7. Chapter 7: AN

**So...**

**I removed the content of the last chapter. YEah, silly indecisive me, I know. **

**But, I was thinking late last night, how this story has become nothing like what I started with, and how the whole thing was just something that shouldn't happen in this particular story. I decided that I really just didn't like the idea. Maybe I'll write another one with the same idea someday. But, it was driving me crazy so...**

**I'm sorry, guys! I hope y'all aren't too annoyed with me. I'll think of some better twists, that go with the story line better. **

**Forgive me? **

**Time to start rewriting!!! Thanks for your time! Bye. **


	8. Chapter 8: AN take two

**Hello...again. I'm sure y'all are tired of these already, huh? **

**For my American readers....Happy Fourth! I hope y'all enjoyed. Me...I got attacked by my uncle's crazy but cute puppy, set of some fireworks with my cousins, and came with an inch of setting my hair on fire. It's been a good day. **

**Now, one order of buisness..I'm afraid I worded my last AN rather badly...you see, I didnt' mean that I was rewriting the entire story. Just chapter 6. Don't worry. Breathe. **

**But, it's going to be awhile until it's up. Probably at least a week. **

**I'm sorry!!! But, right now, it's already 11:15 pm, I have to shower. I'm leaving for a mission trip with my church tomorrow at around 1:30ish, I don't get out of church until around 12:00....and I still have to pack pretty much everything. And I'm not going to be back until next saturday. So...**

**Once again, so sorry!! But there's nothing I can do at this point. just be patient, and I'll have the next chapter out ASAP.**

**Dani**


	9. Chapter 6, For Real: Four Days

**Edward's POV**

Four days.

It had been four days since Bella had talked to me. Four days since I'd kissed her.

Who knew four days was such a long time?

I saw her around school some, but she'd been catching rides with Alice and Jasper, and with Emmett, once. But she'd been careful to stay away from me.

Amber was happy, at least. That is, until I broke up with her. She threw a book at me, and missed.

"Dude, what's going on?" I was so startled that I fell out of my chair and onto my bedroom floor.

When I didn't hear Emmett coming, something was really wrong with me.

Emmett roared with laughter and flopped down on my bed. I got back in my chair and spun around so I was facing him.

"What?" I asked, confused. Emmett had been a friend of me and Bella for years, since second grade.

"What did you do to Bella to make her act like you don't exist?" Emmett asked, picking up a baseball off my floor and tossing it back and forth between his hands. I groaned.

"I kissed her." I admitted, spinning my chair around in circles.

"Seriously? What was it like?" Emmett asked. I stopped spinning, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, seriously. And it was amazing...but that's not the point. I think that the more important part was when she freaked out after." Emmett laughed.

"Wow. That bad, huh?" Emmett asked. I threw one of my text books at him.

"Well, let's think about it for a minute, Eddie boy." I grimaced at the nickname. Emmett just smiled; he knew I hated it. "Isn't she dating that kid from La Push? Bella's a good girl. She's probably worried about it getting back to him, and's afraid that it'll hurt him or something." Emmett shrugged and threw the baseball at me. I caught it before it could go through the window.

"You don't think it's because she doesn't like me?" I asked, staring down at the baseball in my hand. Emmett laughed again.

"Are you blind? She's been in love with you for at least two years, Man." He said. _Two years? _I thought, shocked. "And people think _I'm _the idiot." Emmett muttered under his breath. I threw the baseball back at him, but he caught it, just like I had.

"If she's in love with me, like you think, tell me something." I said, leaning forward, my hands clasped loosely between my knees. "_Why is she dating Jacob Black?_" I asked. My voice gave away a lot more of my real feelings about the whole thing than I meant it to. I'll admit. I'm jealous of him. Emmett shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe she got tired of waiting around for you." He said, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it again.

_"What, am I supposed to let you be the only guy in my life forever? You have a girlfriend, and she's not me." she said in a low, angry voice. "I didn't sign a contract saying that I have not have my own life and wait for you to make a decision just because you don't know what you want yet. You don't own me."_

She'd said that to me the day after she started going out with Jacob. I couldn't make it make sense then...but if what Emmett was saying was right...

"I'm such an idiot!" I groaned, leaning back in my chair with my hands over my face.

"Yep." Emmett said grimly. "You sure are."

**Bella's POV**

Four days.

It had been four days since I'd spoken to Edward. Four days since I'd spoken to my mother. Five days since I'd spoken to Jake.

I still didn't know what to do about Edward or Renee, but every time I'd called and Billy picked up the phone, and said Jake was still sick.

So, here I was, pacing and debating with myself. Should I try calling again? Maybe. Should I drive down to La Push? Maybe...not.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I dialed Jake's number again, and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I almost squealed. It was actually Jake!

"Jake!" I said happily. "Are you better?" I asked.

"Hey, Bells. Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better. I had the flu." He said, sounding tired.

"Do you want me to bring you some soup?" I asked. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do...

"That'd be good. Can you come soon?" he asked. Poor guy. I knew that Billy wasn't the best cook, unless it was pasta.

"Yeah. Give me an hour?" I pulled on my pair of vans, holding the phone with my shoulder.

"Okay. I'll be here. See you soon."

"Bye, Jake." I said, and we hung up.

I went down to the kitchen and was faced with another dilemma in my head. Was I supposed to tell him about Edward and me...? Or should I just keep quiet about it?

I'm going with the latter.

50 minutes later, I was at Jake's house. I yelled up to Jake that I was here, then went into the kitchen and poured some of the soup I'd made into a bowl for him. It was still hot, at least.

I carried the bowl up to Jake's room, knocked, then went in.

He was sitting with his shirt off, something I'd grown used to by now, criss cross on his bed, typing something on his laptop. He looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Bella." He held out his hands for the soup eagerly. I handed it to him along with a spoon, at sat down at the food of his bed.

"Thanks. Dad's 'healing food' sucks." He said before shoveling a spoonful into his mouth. He closed his eyes and said something unintelligible, his mouth still full. I laughed.

"Sorry...I didn't get that one, Jake."

He swallowed. "Damn, this is good. You're amazing." He repeated, then took another bite.

"Thanks."

After a few minutes, Jake set the empty bowl aside. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"I missed you, Bells." He said, and scooted over a little and closed his laptop, then patted the spot next to him. I moved over to sit beside him, and he put his arm around me. My stomach flipped over. I kissed Edward and here I was, acting like nothing had happened, like I wasn't in love with another him.

I burst into tears without any warning. No lump in my throat, no tight feeling in my chest, no stinging of the eyes.

"Whoa!" Jake said as I pulled knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them.

"Bells? Oh my God, what's wrong?" he asked, slightly panicked. I choked on a sob and he sighed and wrapped his arms around me.

"Come on, Bells. You're freaking me out here. What's the matter?"

How was I supposed to tell him the truth?

"PMS." I lied, sniffling and attempting to calm myself down.

"Oh...okay..." Jake said awkwardly.

Eventually I got myself calmed down enough to talk. "Sorry, Jake. Really...I don't know what that was." Jake just nodded, looking a little frazzled.

"It's okay." He said, handing my a tissue from the box by his side, then quick grabbing one to sneeze into. He blew his nose noisily, then gave me a sheepish smile.

"Maybe you'd better go, Bella. I don't want you to get sick too." He said reluctantly, glancing at the pile of used tissues on the other side of him. I nodded and stood up. I didn't like to admit it, but I wanted to talk to Edward now.

"Bye, Jake. I hope you feel better soon." I said, and kissed his hot forehead. I straightened up, and Jake was grinning.

"Thanks for the soup, Bells. I'll try to call you tonight, okay?" I nodded, feeling like I was going to throw up. I waved, stupidly, turned, and walked to the door. I was halfway out and then...

"Hey, Bells?" Jake asked, looking a little nervous, but determined. I waited. "I love you." He said.

I almost threw up on the spot. I opened and shut my mouth over and over again, leaning against the door frame. I probably looked like a combination of a fish out of water and a deer in headlights.

"I know, I know we've only been going out for a few weeks, but...I felt like I needed to say it now. I really do, Bells. I love you." He said hurriedly, trying do damage control, obviously. I needed to say something, _anything, _but I just couldn't figure out what. Did I love Jake? Even a little bit? As much as Edward?

Maybe I did love Jake. I wasn't really sure. But, there was no way I loved him as much as Edward. No possible way.

"I-I have to go, Jake. Bye." Was what I said. I turned fast, but I still caught a glimpse of Jake's face. I'd hurt him, and his pain was my pain.

I fled down the stairs, and out the door, letting it slam behind me. I slid into the driver's seat of my mom's car a minute later, and pulled out of the drive.

I made it home, thankfully enough. My hands were shaking so bad I wasn't sure if I could, but I did. I parked in the driveway and groaned. There was my mom, coming out of the house and then standing on the porch, tapping her foot angrily with her arms crossed across her chest. I was in trouble. But then, so was she...

I stepped out of the car, and slammed the door shut behind me.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" She yelled right off the bat.

I threw the keys at her and walked away with my hands in my pockets, past my mom on the porch, who was staring at me with an open mouth, the keys clutched in her hand. I was already on Edward's porch before I remembered that I wasn't exactly talking to him either....

But, I needed to fix that anyways. Now or never. So, I put walked inside, only vaguely noticing that Emmett's jeep was in the driveway.

I waved to Esme, who was in the kitchen, and went upstairs. I opened Edward's door and walked in...then tripped and fell flat on my face.

"Bellaaa!" Edward moaned, helping me to my feet. Emmett's booming laugh filled the room.

"I think that's a new record, Edward. She wasn't even in the room for a second!" Emmett laughed. I glared at him, and he slowly stopped.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? Come here." He said, holding out his arms. I sighed and walked to him, letting him apologize through a hug.

I'd known Emmett for a long time. Not as long as Edward, but still a long time. Emmett was my brother, my second favorite guy, after Edward of course (but, if he asks, he's my all time favorite, of course.)

Emmett...is Emmett. It's hard to describe him. He's big. He's just...big. He's a few inches taller than Edward, and he has muscles. Huge muscles. Scary muscles.

But, he's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. He'll drive all the way from his house at three am just to give you a hug if you ask him to. He's still the goof of our little group, but it's a good thing. We need him to lighten the mood sometimes.

I let go of Emmett after a minute. I looked between him and Edward, wondering what I was supposed to do now. I hadn't planned for Emmett to be here...

"Emmett, go home." Edward said. Emmett looked like he was about to protest, but Edward gave him one of those weird guy looks, and Emmett shrugged and stood.

"Fine. I'll go. Bye." He said grumpily before stomping out. Edward and I didn't think too much of it. Emmett could never stay mad for long.

Edward and I just stood and stared at each other for a long minute. Now that I was here, I had no idea what I was going to say, or do, or anything.

The thing was, whenever I was confused about anything, it was Edward that I went to and talked about it to. Always had been. I wasn't close with my parents, and Emmett wasn't into the whole "Girly talk" as he puts it. Until Alice came along, I was never really close with any girls. I just got along so much better with boys. They're so much less complicated.

But what was I supposed to do now, when Edward most of the problem?

"We need to talk." Edward said with a sigh, sitting down on the floor. I did the same, sitting a couple of feet away from him.

"Do you know where to start?" he asked, smiling sheepishly. I shook my head. "Neither do I. This should be interesting..." He ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was.

It was quiet for a long time.

"I love you." Edward finally said with a sigh. I smiled bitterly.

"I love you too." I said, looking down at my hands. "But it's complicated now." I said, almost to myself.

Edward scooted closer to me. "Why? Why is it complicated? I love you and you love me. How is that complicated?" he asked. I looked up.

"Because, I'm dating Jake now. He loves me, and I think I might love him too." I blurted out. I hadn't even been giving much thought to it, but now that I'd said it, I knew that it was true. Some part of me _did_ love Jake, at least a little bit.

Edward stood up abruptly and started walking in circles around his room, alternating between pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and running his hand through his hair. I just sat and watched, still thinking about what I said.

"Wow." Edward finally said, softly, his voice hurt. That was when I started looking for a brick wall to bang my head against.

I stood up, and walked out the door. Edward caught me by my hand before I made it down the stairs.

"I'll pick you up for school tomorrow, okay?" he asked. His eyes were pleading with me, even though his voice was normal. After a minute, I nodded.

It couldn't hurt...could it?

So, let's recap. I'd managed to hurt both my boyfriend and my best friend within an hour. Instead of solving things, I'd complicated things. And, I was probably going to be grounded by my mom for taking the car without permission. Wonderful.

**Third Person POV**

Renee set a cup of coffee down in front of Esme, then took her own off the counter and sat down across the table from her friend.

"Esme, I know it's wrong. But...the only reason that I'm still here is for Bella. I don't love Charlie anymore, I haven't for years. You know that." She sighed, and stirred a packet of sugar into her coffee. Esme nodded gravely.

Renee sipped her coffee then spoke again. "Bella has every right in the world to be angry with me." she sighed again, more sadly this time. She looked up at Esme, wanting her to say something.

Esme set her cup of coffee down, and cupped her chin in her palm. "Renee, I'm siding with you and with Bella on this. If you know that what you're doing is wrong, why are doing it?" she asked, with just enough accusation in her voice to get through to Renee.

Esme continued. "This is a small town. As soon as anyone else finds out about your affair, and _they will,"_ She emphasized, catching Esme's eye, "then Charlie will find out before you can say 'Willy Wonka.' He will be humiliated, and you will too." She took another sip of her coffee, blowing on it delicately, and let her words sink in.

Renee stared at a spot on the wall, blinking rapidly, not touching her cup.

"When Edward and Bella were thirteen or fourteen, and you Charlie were going through that really rough spot, Bella would sneak over almost every night. Edward gave her his bed and slept on the floor in his room. She couldn't stand you two yelling at each other all the time." Esme said softly, looking down at her hands.

Renee's eyes jumped to Esme's face. "Why are you saying this now? Why does it matter?" she snapped. Esme stayed calm.

"I'm saying it because you need to understand that your actions effect the people around you. Charlie, Bella, me..." Esme sighed and clasped her hands loosely on the table in front of her. "Renee, Bella is eighteen years old. She is a legal adult. She can move out. If she asks, I'll let her stay in the guest bedroom. Unless you want to completely ruin your relationship with her, you need to straighten up, ad fast." Esme stood up.

"Thanks for the coffee, Renee. I'll see you later."

**Bella's POV**

I trudged up the steps of my front porch, and met Esme on her way out.

"Hi, Baby!" she said happily, and wrapped me in a hug. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Hi, Esme." I said into her shoulder. She released me, and looked me over.

"How've you been, Bella? I haven't seen you in such a long time...did you grow?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. I laughed, a little strained.

"I don't think so." I said, smiling a little, for her benefit. It didn't escape Esme's notice, though. She smiled sadly back at me, and hugged me again.

"I love you like the daughter I never had, Bella. Don't be afraid to come to me for anything, okay?" she asked, smoothing down my hair. I nodded, glad she wasn't going to try to get it out of me right here and now. "I'll see you soon, Sweetheart." She said, and continued down the steps. I watched her go for a minute, then turned and walked into the house.

Renee was sitting at the kitchen table, staring down at a cup of coffee in her hands, but she looked up when I walked by.

"Bella-" she started, but I cut her off.

"No, Mom. Don't talk to me." I said, and climbed the stairs as fast as I could.

I stood with my back against the door, breathing heavily.

I couldn't believe the way I was acting to my mom. But then, I could. I'd been holding all this back for years, from both of my parents, now I'd reached my breaking point, and everything was coming loose.

Who was I supposed to choose? Edward or Jacob?

And, even worse, my Mom or my Dad?

* * *

**Yes! Finally an actual chapter!! So, this is the real chapter six.**

**So, you remember how I said I was going away to a camp for the week, and how I wouldn't back until Saturday? Yeah...I got sick and had to come home on _Monday._ Does that suck, or what? Ugh. Oh well, I guess I'll live. **

**I can't tell you how hard it was to write this. Jeez. It took me forever! I'll be honest with you. One reason it's taking me so long to write the chapters is because, at this point, even I'm n ot completely sure how everything's going work out. But, never fear! Things WILL work out, I promise. **

**Alright. Leave me a review, please? did you like this chapter? Did i make any huge mistakes? Was it worth the wait? I LOVE long reviews. They make my life, seriously. leave me a super long one. **

**Okay, enough rambling. Bye! Review. **


	10. Chapter 7: I'll Take Care Of It

**Bella's POV**

I was waiting, fully dressed and ready to go, on the porch steps when Edward came out of his house. I stood up and walked to the Volvo, looking down at my feet. I waited while he unlocked the doors, then climbed in.

"Hey." Edward said as I buckled my seatbelt.

"Hi." I said quietly.

It was quiet while we drove. Too quiet, so I turned on the radio, not really listening to it, but just to have something to make the quiet go away. Edward glanced at me every now and then, when he thought I wasn't looking. I knew what I was thinking, and what he was too.

_Where do we go from here?_

Let see what we know.

Edward and I have been friends since birth.

We've gone through almost everything together. Parents fighting, losing our baby teeth, broken bones, highschool, eighteen birthdays each.

_"Bella, if you don't come out in ten seconds, I'm coming in." Edward growled from outside the girl's bathroom. _

It was our sophomore year. We were sixteen.

_I glanced in the mirror as I passed by. I looked like hell. My eyes were red and puffy, still wet. I wiped at them again. My hair looked like a haystack, and my nose was running. _

_"Four....three...." I crept out of the bathroom just as he got to one. The next thing I knew, he was hugging me, and my face was buried into his shoulder. The halls were empty, as it was five minutes after the bell. _

_"Tell me what happened." He demanded, letting go of me and looking at me with a stern face. It looked like his eyes darkened a shade._

_"Give it a few minutes, and you'll know anyways." I sniffled, another tear leaking out. He caught it before it could roll off the end of my nose. _

_"What do you mean?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. I knew he was fighting to keep his calm. _

_I choked on the words as they left my mouth. "Grant Jones said I slept with him." _

_Edward walked away from me, stopping to slam his hand into a locker with a bang before coming back to me. His jaw was locked, his eyes sparking with anger. Then he looked down at me. My bottom lip was quivering, and I knew that my eyes were brimming with tears again. _

_He let all the breath out o his lungs in one sigh, and reached out and hugged me again. I could feel his hands shaking on my back. _

_"Don't worry. I'll take care of it, Bella." He promised. _

I reached across the center console at a stop light, and brushed the hair back off Edward's forehead. He jumped, and turned his head to face me. I ran my thumb over the long line that his messy hair usually covered. His eyes closed for a brief second.

"I was just remembering when you got that." I said as the light turned green, and turned to face the road again. Edward smiled grimly.

"Yeah. Grant got off worse though." He said, smiling smugly. I dropped my hand, and curled up on the front seat.

"Yeah. He got..." I trailed off, trying to remember.

Edward picked up where I left off. "A broken hand and a bloody lip." He said, a little proudly. I nodded, hiding a smile.

"And you got that scar and a black eye that lasted for a week. You still had it in the yearbook pictures." I giggled a little.

"Yep." He popped the 'p,' and smiled at me.

That was the day I realized I loved Edward. Almost two years ago.

What about Jake? What did I know there?

We'd been enemies for years.

I'd really only known him for a few weeks.

Half the time I was with him my mind was on Edward.

"Bella?" Edward's voice cut through my thoughts, and I jumped. He chuckled a little. "Bella, we're here." He said, stepping out of the car. He popped the trunk as I got out, and pulled out his backpack and my book bag. He handed mine to me, and we walked to our first class together.

So, we weren't back to normal. Things could never go back to normal between us, at least, not until we created a new normal. You can't admit that you love a person and have things be normal the next day. But...we weren't fighting anymore. And that was always a good thing.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Bella!" I heard the high pitched squeal, then I was tackled from behind. I stumbled into Edward, and, laughing, he steadied me. Alice hung onto my back, her arms around my neck. Her feet weren't touching ground.

"Alice!" Jasper and I yelled at the same time.

"Choking." I gasped out, tapping on Alice's arm.

Alice giggled as Jasper gently lifted her off my back. "Oops! Sorry, Bella." She said. Jasper shot me an apologetic look as he set her back on her own two feet, a protective arm holding her against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Bella. She got into the coffee this morning and..." he trailed off, looking down at Alice, who had an excited grin on her face.

She was wearing a rainbow, tie-dyed tee shirt, and a pair of paint splattered jeans. The outfit matched her personality. Colorful and hyper. Add caffeine or sugar...

Run!

"I love you, Bella!" Alice yelled, breaking out of Jasper's gentle hold and tackling me again.

The bell rang, and Jasper pried Alice off me for the second time.

"Sorry!" he apologized again. "Ali, Baby, we need to get to class." He urged, trying to tow her in the opposite direction. Alice waved wildly back at me and Edward, then started skipping so suddenly that she was dragging Jasper along.

I was about to turn and follow Edward to our class, but then Alice skidded to a stop.

"Bella! You're having dinner at our house tonight! My parents want to meet you!" she yelled, then was off again.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

I met up with Jasper after gym. I was going to just go on home with them now, so I wouldn't have to catch a ride later. Edward was going to let my mom know where I was for me.

Jasper and I waited by their car for Alice to show up.

Jasper was a good guy. He didn't really say too much. He was more the quiet, serious type. He and Alice balanced each other out. I still didn't really know too much about his past, or why he'd moved with Alice, but that was okay. I didn't have to know right away.

"Hi!" Alice bounded up and hugged me, then Jasper. "Ready?" she asked, skipping around to the passenger side of the car. Jasper climbed into the driver's seat, and I got into the back.

After listening to Alice chatter for a good ten minutes, we arrived at the Brandon house. Alice hooked arms with me and skipped up the sidewalk and waited for Jasper to unlock the door. He held the door for us, and Alice dragged me inside.

I liked it. It was homey. I took a look at the pictures on the walls, following Alice up the stairs while Jasper drifted off towards the kitchen. I wasn't surprised to see that pictures of Alice and Jasper were everywhere, all ages. It seemed like they'd been together for their whole lives.

Alice's room was yellow. Sunny, just like her. The wall color reminded me of lemonade, but it was nice.

Alice kicked her shoes off, and sat down at her desk. There was a recent photo of her and Jasper in a frame on her desk. I put my own shoes next to hers, and sat down on the bed.

"You're curious about me and Jasper." Alice said, didn't ask. Well, I thought I'd done a good job on hiding it...

I smiled sheepishly, and nodded. "A little bit, yeah." I admitted, tucking my legs under myself.

Alice shrugged. "A lot of people are. They just won't admit it." She spun herself around in a full circle, then stopped, facing me again. "Are you ready for the story?" she asked, smiling a little, like she always did when she was thinking about Jasper. I nodded.

"Jasper and I's history is a lot like you and Edward's." She said. "Our parents were friends for years before we were born, so it was a given that we were close while we were growing up." I nodded, knowing what she meant. "But, unlike you and Edward, it was always obvious that me and Jasper weren't...friends. We were always something more." Alice had a far away look in her eyes, and a small smile on her face.

"Of course, we didn't officially start dating until we were oh...thirteen and a half. Actually, he was fourteen by then. But that doesn't matter. To put it simply, Jasper and I've been engaged since birth." She giggled a little.

It didn't shock me to hear her say that. Alice and Jasper were the perfect example of soul-mates.

"So, when my dad got transferred....Jasper came with us. There wasn't a question about us being apart."

"Didn't your parents mind?" I asked, a little incredulously. Alice shrugged.

"Not really. Well, my dad, for a little while, but he got over it pretty fast. My mom was always okay with it." She sighed. "And Jasper's parents...they didn't really care too much about it. He's eighteen, and they knew that they couldn't stop him, even if they wanted to. And they've always been a little bit busy with his sister, Rose. She's a model...she's barely even home. They travel with her a lot. So it was easier for them too." She smiled. "So, now me and Jazz get to live together full time."

I felt lonely.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

It was finally Friday. I was waiting for Edward at the Volvo after school got out.

It was getting colder. It was expected, as it was the middle of October.

I shivered a little, and reminded myself to wear a heavier jacket the next day. I could see Edward come out of building two, walking with his hands in his pockets and his head down. I tapped my foot a little impatiently, wishing he would walk a little faster.

"Bella!" A voice yelled, and I turned my head towards it automatically. It was Jasper. He strode across the parking lot, making better time than Edward, and stopped in front of me. He looked.....

Well, he didn't look good.

His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he was paler than usual, even though he had fair skin to start with. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists over and over again, and popping his knuckles like he wanted to punch something. He was shaking slightly.

Had he been like this all day? I wasn't sure. Maybe he had been, and I just didn't notice. He'd only spoken to me once, when I asked him where Alice was. He'd given me a short answer -_"She had to do stuff at home." _

Edward walked up before Jasper could say anything.

He took one glance at Jasper. "What's up with you, man?" he asked, sounding casually concerned. Jasper just shook his head at him.

"Bella, can I drive you home? I need to talk to you. Please." He asked in low, dangerously calm voice. I nodded immediately, but Edward grabbed my arm. He gave me a look that clearly said that he thought I was crazy, but I shook him off. I knew Jasper. He would never hurt me, even in the state he was in.

"Of course." I said, and waved at Edward, walking back to Jasper (and Alice's) car with him. When Jasper pulled out of the parking lot, he was speeding. He never went more than five above the speed limit.

"Do you mind if we just drove around for a while?" Jasper asked, his eyes flicking over at me for a second.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, that's okay. Now start talking." I demanded. Jasper sighed and turned down the road that would lead to the highway.

"Alice stayed home today because she needed to get the spare room ready for my sister." He said, staring at the road. It started drizzling, and he turned on the windshield wipers, and slowed down a bit.

"Okay." I said. I still didn't get why he was acting so weird today.

"Bella, I've always been jealous of my sister. She's two years younger than I am. Sixteen. She was always the favorite of our parents. Always." He struck the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. "But, that doesn't mean I didn't love her. She's my sister. Of course I love her." He took a shaky breath. It surprised me, seeing Jasper...not break down. He hadn't gotten to that part...yet. But he was crumbling.

"Rose is moving here. My parents talked to Alice's." he said in the same low, strangely calm voice he'd used earlier.

Jasper pulled into the parking lot of one of the town's gas stations and parked. There a strange choking sound, and I realized that he was past crumbling now. He was at break down point.

"Bella, Rose was raped." He choked out. "My baby sister was raped."

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

It took Jasper and hour to get the whole thing out.

"Bella...I'm asking you to help me out. Please. Rose is going to be here at around eight tomorrow morning. From what my parents have told me....she's a mess." He took a deep, calming breath. "I think it might be a good idea, for her to have someone other than just Alice, you know?" I nodded. "Rose won't let..." he had to pause to take a few more deep breaths. "Rose won't let any males within five feet of her, apparently. I won't be able to be there for her, like I want to be. Please...help me out. You're one of my best friends, Bells."

So, I was now driving, worried about Jasper's self control. I pulled up to the Brandon house and we went inside.

Alice immediately went to comfort Jasper, leaving me to trail along behind. So, I dug out my phone, and dialed Edward's number.

"Bella?" he picked up on the second ring, sounding a little panicky. "Are you okay? Is Jasper okay? Where are you?" he asked in the same tone. I sighed.

"I'm at the Brandon's." I said, a little frustrated with Edward's manner. "I'm perfectly fine. But, I need a favor." Before, I wouldn't have thought twice about asking Edward this. But now...things were different.

"Anything." He said, not having to think about it twice.

That's when I heard the little voice in the back of my mind for the first time. It had been there all along, but I just now realized it, now that my guard was down.

_Edward loves you, totally and completely. Unconditionally. Like Jasper loves Alice. Jake only thinks he loves you. You love Edward. He stole your heart years ago. You don't love Jake. _

"Bella?" Edward asked. I hadn't realized how long I'd kept him waiting.

"Sorry!" I apologized. I made a decision, right then and there. "Actually, never mind. Sorry to bother you." I said, then hung up.

"Alice?" I called up the stairs. She and Jasper stopped halfway up, their arms around each other's waists.

"Can I borrow your car? I need to go back home, clear this with my parents...pack a bag..." Alice nodded.

"Yeah. See you in a little while." She said, oddly subdued for Alice. But it was to be expected, given the circumstances.

I was pulling out of the driveway in two minutes.

_Jake first...then Edward. _

_

* * *

_

**Okay. So it's a bit of a cliffie. I apologize, but I thought this was a good place to leave it. **

**So. Bella has finally made up her mind. Yes!! I just couldn't drag it out any more. And...I think y'all would start the death threats if I did, anyways, so it worked out rather nicely =D**

**And...enter Rose. I just had to have her in here somewhere. We'll see some more of her next chapter. **

**I wonder what y'all's view of flashbacks are? Personally...I love them. They're so fun to write, and give more depth to the story, in my opinion. **

**For all of you Jasper/Alice lovers out there, check out my fic "A Bow In Her Hair"**

**To all of y'all who review last chapter...Thank you. sooo much. I'm not very good on responding to them, but if you have questions to ask, I will answer them. Each one makes me smile. **

**And now....review. Please. Reviews are better than M&Ms. Super long reviews, A.K.A the reviews were y'all tell me exactly what you were thinking about the chapter, favorite lines, etc, are better than M&M and Snickers Blizzards (Dairy Queen sounds really good right now...)**


	11. Chapter 8: Finally!

**Bella's POV**

I made it to Jake's house by five. It was still drizzling.

I hesitated for a moment in front of the door.

_I'm doing the right thing? _I asked myself. _Yeah. You are. _

So, I knocked. And waited, glad I'd found one of Jasper's jackets in the car; it was steadily getting cooler. I knew Jasper wouldn't mind. A minute later, the door was opened by Jake. He smiled and stood aside to let me in.

"Hey." He said, and stooped to kiss me. I let him....

And it was settled. I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. I gently pushed on his chest, and he pulled away with a frown. I sighed softly. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Jake, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" I asked, trying to figure out what exactly I was going to say. He nodded, and we walked into the kitchen. He was making a pre-dinner snack, apparently.

I leaned against the counter, my hands in my pockets, while he stood at the stove, watching his grilled cheese cook.

"Jake...I-" I started, but he interrupted me.

"Do you think it's hot enough? It seems to be taking a long time..." Jake mused, while fiddling with the dial. I frowned. Jake never interrupted me.

"I think that-" And he did it again!

"Do you want a popsicle?" he asked, stepping over to the freezer, and holding one out to me.

I huffed. Why did he have to make it so much harder for me? "No thanks Jake. Listen-"

"Are you sure? They're really good. Grape." He said, taking a bite out of one and shutting the freezer door.

"Jacob Black, stop stalling and let me talk!" I shouted, annoyed.

Jake sighed, and tossed the half eaten popsicle into the trash can. He turned back to the stove and flipped his sandwich, which was now burnt on one side.

"I know what you're going to say." He mumbled. I was quiet, watching as he flipped the sandwich onto a plate, but just let it sit on the counter.

He didn't look devastated, or heart broken, which was relief, but also a little confusing. Maybe I was thinking rather highly of myself but...

"I'm sorry, Jake." I said sincerely. He just looked...resigned. A bit disappointed. He put his hands in his pockets.

"It's Cullen, isn't it?" he asked suddenly. I smiled a little, thinking about Edward.

"Yeah. That obvious?" I asked, glancing up at him. Jake laughed, without humor.

"Yeah. I knew it was just a matter of time." He looked down at his feet.

"Do you think we can be friends?" I asked, a little hopefully. I didn't want to completely lose Jake. Not this soon, at least. Just because we weren't dating didn't mean we couldn't see each other anymore, right? It was quiet for a minute.

"I think we can be friends." He said finally. I smiled.

"I really am sorry, Jake." I said again, standing up straighter, getting ready to go. HE just shrugged.

"One last kiss?" he asked, with his old grin. I laughed a little, and stood on my tiptoes while he stooped, and pecked him on the lips. I waved once before letting myself out.

Now...Edward.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into my own driveway. I lifted the hood on Jasper's jacket, and ran across the yards towards the Cullen's. Bad idea. I slipped on the wet grass and landed flat on my back, the wind knocked out of me. I gasped and closed my eyes to keep the rain out of them, and just lay there on the Cullen's lawn, trying to get my breath back.

"Bella?" my favorite voice in the world asked, sounding a little worried. I slowly opened my eyes, and Edward was peering down at me, his hair darkened from the rain.

"I'm okay." I said, sitting up. To my surprise, Edward sat down on the wet grass, right in front of me.

"I broke up with Jake." I said casually, looking down. Then, slowly, I looked up, smiling. Edward was grinning at me.

"You broke up with Black?" he asked in an even, calm tone. I nodded, my smile growing.

"You chose me?" he asked in that same voice. I giggled a little, and nodded again.

Then, Edward did the most Edward thing imaginable.

He let out a whoop, leapt to his feet, and did a victory lap around the yard. I stood up, laughing, and watched him go.

After a minute or two, he jogged back to me, and before I could say anything, set his hands on my shoulders and kissed me.

And I kissed him back. And this time, I had nothing to feel guilty for.

**Third Person POV**

Esme peeked out one of the kitchen windows, smiling.

"Finally." She said quietly to herself, before calling Renee.

"Look out your window, carefully. Be sneaky." She said as soon as her friend picked up.

A moment later, she heard the soft squeal.

"Finally!" Renee said.

Edward lifted Bella off her feet and spun around with her, never breaking the kiss. Then, without warning, he lost he footing on the wet grass and down they fell, Edward catching himself just in time to keep from crushing Bella.

"Ouch." Renee said, chuckling softly.

"Smooth, Edward." Esme said sarcastically, laughing.

**Bella's POV**

I stared up at Edward for a minute. We were both a little stunned by the sudden fall, but okay. Then, I started laughing, and Edward's grin came back. He kissed me softly once more, before carefully getting to his feet and helping me up. I could've sworn I saw the curtains twitch in one of the kitchen windows, but figured I was just imagining it.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in the crook of my neck. "_My _girl." He said, his voice just slightly muffled. I laughed a little, but nodded.

"Your girl." I agreed, running my hand through his wet hair. I was suddenly aware of how both of us were soaking wet, and the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I shivered a little, cold.

"We should probably go inside." Edward said, standing up straighter now. He took my hand and laced his fingers through mine, and started to lead me towards his door, but I shook my head.

"I'm staying over at Alice's tonight. Jasper's sister is coming tomorrow, and Alice needs helping getting her room ready." I explained. Edward sighed and nodded.

"Come over for a few minutes while I pack, when she get changed?" I asked a little hopefully. He nodded and let go of my hand a little reluctantly, and we both went our separate ways.

A few minutes later, after I had tossed Jasper's jacket in the dryer and changed into a dry pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, Edward appeared in my doorway. He was wearing fairly dry clothes now, but his hair was still damp, as was mine.

"Need any help?" he asked, flopping down on the bed next to my bag. I shook my head.

"No, I think I've got it." I said, stuffing an old band tee shirt into my bag.

"Band-aids?" he asked. I nodded, rolling my eyes. "You aren't going to...oh, I don't know. Fall down the stairs or anything, are you?" he asked, rather seriously.

"I'll try my best not to." I promised.

I went back to my closet and pulled a pair of cut off sweats for PJs.

"Am I your girlfriend?" I asked, shoving the pair of pants in and then attempting to yank the zipper shut on the bag. Edward leaned forwards and pulled it smoothly shut. I smiled in thanks and slung it over my shoulder.

"Do you want to be?" Edward asked, standing up. I nodded. He smiled and took a step forwards and kissed my forehead.

"Bye, Bella. Call me tomorrow?" he asked, smiling a little. I nodded again, and hugged him. He hugged me back, and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

Then, he left.

As soon as I heard the front door shut, I did a happy dance, right there in my room, squealing like a thirteen year old at a Hannah Montana concert.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Her favorite color's green, right, Jazz?" Alice asked Jasper, who was sitting in the middle of the floor of the guest bedroom. He nodded.

"Last I heard, at least." He answered, watching Alice flit back and forth across the room. I was doing pretty much the same as he was, except I was standing, and Alice kept on taking different "supplies" out of my hands.

"Alice, it's past midnight and the room looks perfect. Can I go to sleep now?" I whined, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

Alice looked around the room, very carefully. Finally, she shrugged.

"Okay...I guess it's pretty much perfect anyways..." she said, sounding a little disappointed that there wasn't anything left to do. She sighed as Jasper stood up.

"I hope she'll like it. Do you think she'll like it, Jasper?" she asked sounding worried. Jasper got to his feet and wrapped his arms around her.

"I think so." He said quietly, looking around too. Alice rested her head against his chest.

"Why Rose?" she asked sadly. "Why did this happen to Rose?" Jasper shook his head.

"I don't know, Ali." He said, just above a whisper.

I felt like I should turn around, or cover my eyes, or...something. It was just such an intimate moment.

"Will you carry me?" Alice asked Jasper, yawning a little. Of course, now she was tired. She couldn't have gotten tired two hours ago. But, I couldn't hold it against her.

"Of course." Jasper said, and scooped her up and carried out of the room and across the hall to her room. He set her on the bed, and took off her shoes for her. He kissed her on the forehead, then he left, nodding to me on his way out, to go to his own room.

Already in my PJs, I flopped down on the air mattress that Alice's mom had set up for me and pulled the covers up over myself.

We were both tired, so Alice went through her routine quickly. I was already halfway asleep when she shut off the lamp.

_My girl. _I heard Edward's voice in my head. I smiled, rolled over, and fell asleep.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Time to get up!" Alice sang in my ear. I groaned I blindly tossed one of the stuffed animals that had fallen off her bed and onto mine in her general direction.

"Missed me!" she said, way too cheery for the time.

"Alice, no!" I whined.

"Rose will be here thirty minutes. You need to get up and dressed." Alice said, ripping my blanket away.

I sat up with a sigh, and rubbed my eyes. Alice was already dressed in knee length jean skirt, red ballet flats, and a red shirt.

"Jeez, Alice. How early were you awake?" I asked, standing up and yawning.

"6:30." Alice answered simply, sitting down at her desk and logging into her email. I shook my head in disbelief, and dragged my bag into the bathroom with me to get ready for the day.

I emerged, wearing a Guns and Roses tee shirt and a pair of faded jeans, my hair and teeth brushed, and my face washed fifteen minutes later. Alice raised and eye brow at my shirt, and I copied her. I liked my shirt.

"Fine. Whatever, I don't care." Alice said, but her tone told me otherwise. But, she was letting me off the hook, so I was happy. "Rose should be here in about ten minutes." She said.

Alice was nervous, I could tell. I didn't think it was because of Rose coming, per say, but...because she didn't know what to expect from Rose. I knew that they were friends. I couldn't imagine what it was like to have a friend go through that...or a sister for that matter. I didn't know her, but I still felt bad about it. But I didn't feel for her as much as Alice or Jasper did.

Jasper had asked me not to tell Edward or Emmett what had happened to Rose. He said that she didn't want a bunch of people to know, that if she wanted people to know about it, she would tell them herself, in her own time.

I followed Alice downstairs, my sketchbook and a pencil in hand. I hadn't drawn much recently.

I sat down on the couch, and while Alice watched the local news, I sketched.

I was almost finished when the key turned in the lock, and the front door opened. Mrs. Brandon walked in first, and I noticed that her eyes were just a teeny bit red...she held the door for Jasper, who was carrying several bags. He set them down in the entry as Alice walked over to him, and he slung his arm over her shoulder. I followed, and stood next to Alice, feeling just a bit out of place.

Rosalie Whitlock was a sixteen year old beauty. That was for sure. She stood a good four inches taller than me, probably 5'8 or 9. She was thin...but not skinny. She looked healthy, at least.

Her hair was blonde, like Jasper's, only a shade darker. With a slight red tint to it. It fell to her waist. Her eyes were a deep blue, and I guessed that they would've been bright and sparkling under normal circumstances.

But, these weren't normal circumstances.

She was dark jeans, and tennis shoes, and a grey shirt with sleeves so long that they covered her knuckles. They had holes for her thumbs.

Her hair was loose, and it hung so that it half covered her face. Her eyes were....

They could only be described as broken.

It broke my heart just to see her, and I didn't even know her yet. I could see the hard look on Jasper's face, and Alice let a sob out as she stepped forward and hugged Rose.

"Oh, Rose, Honey..." she said as Rose returned the hug. The just stood there for a long moment, then Alice took a small step away. She wiped her eyes quickly.

"Rose, this is our friend, Bella. Bella...this is my sister, Rosalie." Alice introduced us. Jasper had gone to carry Rose's bags up the stairs.

I noticed that Alice called Rose her sister. I was reminded of the way Alice had described her Jasper's relationship as "engaged since birth."

"Hi." Rose said quietly, her voice matching her looks. Beautiful, of course.

"Hi." I said, smiling at her.

Alice and I helped Rose unpack, Alice chattering away happily, and Rose and I speaking when we needed to.

A little after eleven, my phone rang. I checked the caller I.D, and I knew my face lit up as I scrambled to answer it.

"Hi." I said, holding up a finger to Rose and Alice and stepping out of the room.

"Good Morning, sunshine." Edward said, and I could tell he was smiling from his tone.

"I've been awake since 7:30. You're a little late." I said, laughing a little. Edward whistled.

"Wow. Sorry. Did you sleep okay, though?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Is Jasper's sister there yet?"

"Yeah, she is. Me and Alice have been helping her get settled. She's pretty nice." I said.

Edward and I just chatted for a few more minutes, then, after making arrangements for him to come and pick me up after lunch, we hung up and I went back to Rose and Alice.

"We're done." Alice announced. I nodded. Alice looked like she was about to sit down and get ready to talk to Rose some more, but with one glance at Rose, I knew that wasn't what she wanted.

"Hey, Alice? How about we let Rose have some time to herself. I'm sure she's tired. Right?" I turned to Rose, who smiled at me a little gratefully. She nodded.

"Yeah. A nap would be nice." Rose said, her voice just above a whisper. Alice nodded solemnly.

"Okay. Do you want us to wake you up for lunch? I think we're just having pizza." Alice asked. Rose shook her head.

"We'll put some in the microwave for you, in case you want it later." I suggested as Rose went to her closet and got out a pair of sweat pants to change into. She just nodded, and Alice and I left quickly and quietly.

"Edward's going to come and get me at around one." I told Alice as we made our way downstairs.

"So that was Edward you were talking to?" she asked. I could tell that she was upset about Rose, but there wasn't anything I could do about that except distract her. I could faintly hear Jasper playing his guitar in his room as we passed the door.

I nodded. "Yeah." I bit my lip before saying, "I broke up with Jake last night." I said, wondering what her reaction would be.

"You did?" she asked in an excited voice. "That's awesome! Finally!" she said, and she hugged me. "And now you and Edward are together!" she didn't ask, she knew. I just smiled and nodded. A minute later, Alice tackled me with a hug.

"Finally!" she yelled, squeezing me with more force than you'd think a girl her size could.

I had to agree. Finally.

* * *

**Soon enough for you?**

**Finally!!! Yay!! Edward and Bella at last =)**

**So...I have to admit. I have no clue what I'm doing next, to so forgive me if it takes awhile. Hopefully, it won't. But...I think that this won't go on too much longer. But, maybe I'll write a sequel. You never know!**

**The two songs I've been listening to nonstop these past couple days..."Helpless When She Smiles" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Where is the Love?" by the Black Eyed Peas. Just thought I'd let you know. **

**Who all has seen The Half Blood Prince??? I haven't seen it yet, but I think might be seeing it tonight. =D Was it good? **

**So. I saw an "I Love Vampires" tee shirt today. I considered buying it. But...considering it was black, and it's been consistently over 100 degrees every day for the past week and a half, and will probably only get hotter....I didn't =( **

**In case you're wondering, it's 5:00 PM and 107 degrees here. Wow. **

**Don't forget to review! Reviews are better than coloring books. Super duper long reviews where you actually talk to me are better than Disney Princess coloring books!!**


	12. Chapter 9: Treehouse Again

**Edward's POV**

I waited in the car for Bella to come out of Alice's. I'd wanted to come in and meet Jasper's sister, but Bella said that she was sleeping, so there really wasn't much point in going in.

There was Bella, waving at someone in the background as she pulled the door shut behind her, her bag slung over her shoulder.

_My girl._ I thought, and smiled. Bella was finally my girl. How could I not smile?

Bella climbed into the passenger seat, threw her bag into the back seat, and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. My smile grew.

"Hey." I said, pulling away from the curb.

Bella smiled. "Hey." She repeated, and leaned forward to change the station.

We didn't talk anymore the rest of the drive home. We _did _sing along with the radio quite a bit though.

I dropped her off at her driveway, and she waved as I parked, and walked into her own house.

**Bella's POV**

The second I walked in the door, I could tell something was off. The cruiser was in the driveway, so I knew that my dad was home, but Renee was at Yoga again.

I couldn't hear anything on the TV, surprisingly. Charlie almost always at least had the TV on, on a sports channel, just to listen to it when he was home. But today, there was nothing.

"Dad?" I called, peeking into the kitchen. He wasn't there, so I went upstairs and put my bag in my room, and kicked off my shoes. I knocked my mom and dad's door, then peeked in.

Charlie was just sitting on the bed, surprisingly enough. He looked up when I poked my head into the room.

"Everything okay, Dad?" I asked, a little worried. This was definitely not normal Charlie behavior...

He shook his head, and waved me off. I backed out of the room and shut the door softly, a little stunned.

I went back to my room and started unpacking my bag. As I was tossing my clothes into the laundry pile, I started to notice a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

It felt like something big was going to happen.

I stuck out the day by myself. I did some laundry, finished my homework, read a little, then made dinner for me and Charlie, and set a plate aside in the microwave for Renee. A pretty normal day. Until Renee got home.

I heard her come in, but didn't bother to pull myself away from my book to greet her. We still weren't on very good terms.

Half an hour later, I could hear the beginnings of an argument downstairs. I groaned, and did my best to bury myself in my book, to block it out.

But, the shouting got steadily louder, and louder until I slammed my book shut, and crept out into the hall, avoiding the floorboard that creaks, and stood in the hall, out of sight from downstairs, and listened to them yell.

Charlie had found out about the affair. No wonder he was acting so weird earlier.

Wait. That happened years ago, why is she bringing that up now?

I listened to them go back and forth for a few minutes, trying to figure out exactly what was happening. It felt like my mind was numb....

Then, there was a crash, the sound of breaking glass. Charlie yelled and there were footsteps on the stairs. Renee flew up them, and down the hall towards her room, obviously not noticing me. I peeked around the corner. Charlie was picking up fragments of glass, a cut on his cheek and hand. She must've thrown the vase at him.

I crept downstairs and silently helped Charlie pick up the pieces of the vase, then had him sit down at the table so I could clean his cuts. He didn't say anything the whole time, or even look at me.

I crept back up to my room, doing my best to ignore the sobs that I heard coming from my parent's room.

I grabbed a blanket, the camping lantern from under my bed, and slipped on my shoes. I walked past dad, who was still sitting in the same spot at the table. He didn't even look up when I passed.

I made my way out to the tree house, hoping it wouldn't rain. I glanced up at the sky as I walked. There were a few clouds, but I could still see the moon and a few stars in the gaps. I should be alright. I pulled my blanket up into the tree house with me, and set the lantern down on the desk, hoping the battery would last. I looked around the dimly light room, thinking I'd have to come and visit this place in the day sometime....

I pushed the two beanbag chairs together, making a make shift bed. I spread my blanket over it, not quite ready to lie down yet.

I wish I'd thought to bring a book out here...

I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, and turned. There, partly under the rug that covered most of the wooden floor, was an old sketchbook of mine. I walked over and picked it up, dusting it off. I carried it back to my beanbag bed, and sat down.

If I remembered correctly, the sketches in this book were done when I was twelve or thirteen. The sketches weren't as good as the ones I drew today were...but they weren't too bad, either. Some were of Edward. Some were of my parents. Some were of random things...a tree, a flower, a cat...

I caught my breath when I flipped the page. It was a drawing of my mom and dad, Charlie's arm was around her.

I studied it carefully, glancing at the photo taped to the back of the page next to it. It was the same as the sketch...I must've copied it.

Taking the time to really look at the picture, I could tell that Charlie was happy. Really, truly happy. But...there was something in Renee's eyes that gave away her secret, now that I knew what to look for.

"Hey." A voice said. I jumped about a foot in the air and screamed, landing back on the hard floor with a thud.

Edward chuckled and helped me up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, sitting down on the beanbag bed and picking up the sketchbook, thumbing through it. "This is an older one, right?" he asked, not looking up as I sat down.

"Yeah." I kicked my shoes off and tucked my legs under the blanket. After flipping through a few more pages, he set it down on the floor, and got under the blanket too, our knees touching.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, sounding a little concerned. "I don't like you being out here by yourself, not so late..." he trailed off, and I reached out took his hands in mine. Edward smiled, and his thumb danced over my knuckles.

"My parents were fighting again." I said in answer to his question. "I needed a place to go...so I came here." I gestured to the room.

Edward frowned. "You could've come over to my house. That what you always used to do." He said, looking down at our hands in between us. I sighed.

"I know. It just seemed like this was the place to go tonight." Edward nodded, not pushing the subject.

"Are you planning on sleeping out here?" he asked after a moment of silence. I nodded. I saw his jaw clench, and he took a deep breath before speaking again. "Then I'm staying with you. You're not sleeping alone out here." He said, his voice tense. I didn't protest. Why should I?

Edward got up suddenly, letting go off my hands. They felt strangely empty. I looked up, confused.

"I'm going to go grab a couple more blankets, and change. Maybe a snack too..." he explained. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Then he climbed down the ladder, and was gone.

I sighed softly, feeling a little lonely now that he was going, even though I knew he was going to be back soon.

Then I had a thought. A somewhat scary thought.

Edward and I. Alone. No parents what so ever. We were having a sleepover in a tree house, by ourselves, and we were officially dating.

Yikes.

I was pacing nervously in circles around the room by the time Edward came back, dragging a small bag and a couple of extra blankets thrown over his shoulder. He had changed into a black wife beater and plaid PJ pants. He kicked off his old, worn out Vans, and dropped the bag next to the beanbags.

"Um." He said, sounding a little awkward. "I didn't think it'd be too comfortable for you, sleeping in jeans, so I brought you some stuff to change into." he said, looking embarrassed. "Didn't think that all the way through..." he muttered under his breath, just barely loud enough for me to hear as he ran one of his hands through his permanently messy hair.

I resisted the urge to resume pacing, even faster, and settled for chewing on fingernail to channel the nervous energy. "Oh. Thanks." I said. He held out the bag to me. I took it and set it down on the desk.

I changed into an old pair of his shorts and a tee shirt of his while he faced the other direction, and when I was finished and he turned around, I was blushing very hard.

Why had I been so nervous? This was Edward we were talking about. He would never do anything that I didn't want him to.

Edward sat down on one of the bean bags, and I followed suit. He dragged the bag over to us, and rummaged through it.

"I have Doritos, Chex Mix, and popcorn." He said, pulling out bag of Doritos. He saw my face and laughed, and reached into the bag again. "Oh, and...chocolate for you." He said, tossing me a Hershey's bar.

An hour later, after a bag of Chex Mix, two chocolate bars, and a ton of bad pickup lines later, the light went out, leaving us in the dark.

"I guess that means it's time to go to sleep..." Edward said. We were sitting on the floor now, two of the blankets spread out under us.

"Yeah." Edward rummaged around for a minute, then he lay down next to me, using the bean bag behind us as a pillow. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see him pat the spot next to him, so I lay down beside him, and he pulled a blanket over us.

"You can come a little closer, Bells. I'm not going to bite you." He said after a minute. I didn't do anything, so he moved closer to me, and pulled my head onto his chest. I still didn't relax. Edward sighed.

"Bella, it's just sleeping." He said, and I felt him kiss my hair. I sighed and nodded, finally relaxing. Edward started humming an unfamiliar tune to me, and soon I was asleep.

* * *

**Wow this is short. Just a filler chapter, really. But...I'm leaving for an other trip tomorrow morning, bright and early, and I didn't want to leave without giving y'all an update, so here it is. **

**So. I leave tomorrow at 7:00am. I'll be gone until Sunday, the 2cnd. I think. So, just a head's up....no updates for a while. If you really need stuff to read while I'm gone, check out my other fics, particularly Speechless, and my community, if you haven't already. **

**I'm really hoping that I won't get sick on this trip. I'm going almost two states away! There's no coming home if I do, so...wish me luck?**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter!! **

**Okay, I'm going to give y'all a challenge. Let's see if we can get...thirty-five reviews on this chapter, ten more than last chapter by the time I get back? Can you do that? I think you can. I have faith in you!!!**


	13. Chapter 10: Christmas Eve, Part 1

**Bella's POV**

Edward and I both crept back to our houses when the sun started to rise on Sunday morning, but things were so tense in my house that I ended up spending the day at Edward's anyways. Alice had called me to tell me how Rose was adjusting. To Jasper's distress, she'd spent all of Saturday and must of Sunday holed up in her room.

Now it was Monday morning. Another week. And Rose's first day of school. I had clued Edward in on the need to know things about Rose's situation, but nothing more. He seemed to get it anyways, but he didn't ask me about it. I was glad. I didn't want to have to tell him.

I was still trying to wake up as Edward drove towards the school, curled up in the passengers seat and my head leaning against the window. His hand was resting on my ankle, the only part of me that he could comfortably reach while driving.

After a few more minute of driving, Edward pulled into the parking lot next to Emmett's beat up car. I leaned against Emmett while the three of us waited for Alice, Jasper, and Rose.

Before long, Alice and Jasper's car pulled into the lot, and Alice parked next to the Volvo. She hopped out, and I could tell that her personal ray of sunshine was slightly dimmed, but she was putting on the chipper mask anyways. Jasper climbed out of the backseat, and I felt the need to give him a hug. He didn't look himself at all. Last came Rose, timidly climbing out of the passenger's seat. She dressed in a pair of dark green track pants that were obviously Jasper's, and had a black hoodie on, her gold hair peeking out of her hood.

Even in this broken state, she was beautiful. I can't explain how....she just was.

Rose was introduced to Edward, who just waved, remembering what I'd told him. Then, Jasper introduced her to Emmett and, Emmett being Emmett, stepped forward to hug her.

I closed my eyes. This was going to be embarrassing.

I lost my balance, on purpose, and, unintentionally, hit my head on Emmett's jeep. Add painful to embarrassing. But, it had the intended effect; it took the attention off Rose, and Emmett had lost the thought of giving her a welcoming hug that would really only terrify her. Crisis averted.

**123456789**

Time passed. Edward and I filled Emmett in on the need to knows as soon as possible after the first meeting in the parking lot so nothing too bad could happen. My parent's relationship was still rocky. I spent more and more time with Edward, something that I didn't even know was possible. Alice and I became even closer friends, and Rose and I started a friendship. A routine was set into place, a new normal defined, and it stayed the same for several weeks.

At first, I'd been a little worried about me and Edward finally getting together. What if something happened that ruined both our relationship and our friendship? But, the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. Eventually, I just stopped thinking about it.

Emmett liked Rose. I could tell, just by looking at him. It was so obvious, and I felt a little sorry for him. I didn't think that Rose was going to be ready for a relationship for quite a while.

Back to the present. I was standing in front of a store window in Port Angeles with Alice and Rose, freezing my butt off while Rose and Alice stared wistfully at the jewelry in the shop.

It was Monday. Christmas was on Saturday.

So, here I was, shopping with Alice and Rose. It was freezing, snowy, and windy. I was wearing both my jacket _and _one of Edward's and I was still cold.

"Guys, come on! Can we at least go inside?" I asked, my teeth chattering. Alice just waved my plea away.

"We're almost done." She said. Her arm was linked through Rose's, and she had her eye on a beautiful engagement ring. She sighed softly, almost inaudibly, and looked a little bit sad for a moment. But, in the blink of an eye, she was her cheery self again.

"Alrighty then. Where should we go next?" she said, turning away from the window.

I knew what she was thinking, why she'd been sad. Jasper wasn't going to be able to afford a ring like that, and she knew it. Of course, she'd be happy running away to Vegas, if she was getting to marry him, but she would've really liked a big wedding and a fancy ring. I wished that I could help, but I knew that I couldn't.

It was Christmas Eve. I stood in front of the mirror, tugging at my dress. It was dark blue and strapless, and fell to my knees. At the moment, I was wondering how in the world Alice had talked me into wearing it.

Just like every year, me, my mom, and dad were going over to the Cullens for Christmas Eve. Emmett had joined in the tradition when he was ten, after Esme and Carlisle learned that his parents usually left him with a babysitter while they went out themselves. And, this year Alice, Jasper, and Rose were joining us as well.

"Bella!" Charlie yelled from downstairs. I sighed, taking one last look in the mirror, and slipped on the sweater that went with the dress, thankful that we were only walking to the house next door. I hurried down the stairs, and met my parents in the entry.

Things were getting...better between them. They were going to counseling now. I was happy to see that they were holding hands on the short walk over to the Cullens.

Esme opened the door and let us in, hugging us each in turn. The house smelled like cookies and Christmas tree.

Esme went to help Esme finish up in the kitchen, and Charlie drifted off to get a glass of wine and talk with Carlisle. I walked into the living room and stood in front of the Christmas tree, looking at all of the ornaments on it. Edward and I had made quite a few of them. I shrugged out of my sweater and set it on the chair nearest to me, then reached out and touched lopsided paper star. "Edward-age five." Was written on it in Carlisle neat handwriting.

I jumped as a pair of large, warm hands rested on my shoulders from behind. "You look amazing." Edward said into my ear. I turned around and pecked him on the lips. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and an emerald green dress shirt that matched his eyes.

I smiled. "You don't look too bad yourself." I said, blushing a little. Edward chuckled, and glanced down at himself.

"Thanks."

**Third Person POV**

"They look so grown up." Renee said, peering into the living room as she helped Esme put the finishing touches on the cookies that had just come out of the oven. Esme set down the can of sprinkles she was holding and watched Edward and Bella for a moment. She smiled a little sadly as her son brushed a piece of Bella's hair behind her ear with a look in his eyes that she recognized. He was looking at Bella the way Carlisle had always looked at her.

Renee watched with tears forming her eyes. Her baby girl was growing up so fast. It would only be a few short months until she would be leaving for college, then getting married...having babies...

Esme looked over and patted Renee on the back. "I know. I know exactly what you mean." She said quietly. They watched Edward and Bella for a minute more, then went back to the task of decorating the cookies.

**Bella's POV**

Emmett showed a few minutes later, and, after being shooed out of the kitchen by Esme and my mom, came to talk with me and Edward.

"Whoa." He said, his eyes falling on me. I began to blush again, and Edward rose an eyebrow at him. "Bella, you look like a girl." He said, in an awed tone, a grin on his lips. I rolled my eyes, and Edward roared with laughter. I smacked Edward on the back of the head, and he promptly shut up. Emmett just laughed harder as he sat down.

A few minutes later, Alice, Jasper, and Rose arrived. Alice danced into the room, Jasper in tow, and Rose followed shyly along behind them. I heard Emmett's breath hitch, and I looked over at Rose. She was wearing a dark purple dress with black lace along the neck line and hem. She looked stunning, and it was obvious why she had been a model.

Poor Emmett has it so bad.

Rose smiled and waved at me, a little nervously, from across the room. I waved back, but her attention was claimed by Esme before I could get up to go talk to her.

Alice was flitting around with a camera, taking pictures of everyone and everything.

"Bella, smile!" she said, popping up in front of me. I had just enough time to smile before she took the picture. Alice took a minute to look at it, and she smiled. "Beautiful." She said, nodding approvingly at me. "Now, one with Edward." She demanded. Edward looked up at the sound of his name.

"What?" he asked. Alice rolled her eyes. "Put your arm around your girlfriend so I can take a picture of you together." She said impatiently, and Edward obliged, looking a little scared. I giggled softly. Alice started to take the picture, then stopped. "Move closer. Act like you love each other." I laughed a little, scooting closer to Edward on the couch. But, he had other ideas, and pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. I blushed, I mean, both of our parents were in the room, and he chuckled into my ear.

I could tell that my dad was glaring at Edward from across the room, even though I wasn't about to glance over there.

"That's better!" Alice squealed, and, unable to stop myself, I hid my face in Edward's shoulder as she snapped the picture. Edward laughed, and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"She's never liked cameras much." Edward told Alice.

"You know what....this is actually a really cute one." Alice said, as I changed my position from hiding to just resting my head on Edward's shoulder. This was a comfortable spot. After a few more minutes, Alice left.

"I love you, Bells." Edward said, playing with a piece of my hair. I attempted to slide off his lap, but, his arm locked around my waist.

"You can stay." He said quickly.

"Edward, our parents-" I started, but he cut me off.

"So? They've seen this coming for years, at least...our mom's have. And your dad's just going to have to deal with it." He said, and I chanced a glance towards my dad. He was attempting to talk football with Jasper, but continued to shoot a glare at Edward every couple minutes. I continued to look around the room for a minute, a small frown forming.

"What's the matter?" Edward asked. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment, then answered.

"Emmett and Rose are gone." I said. I caught Jasper's eye for a spilt second and could tell that he was thinking the same thing that I was.

Edward looked around the room. "Yeah. They are." He said, sounding a little surprised. "How the two most conspicuous people in the room managed to sneak away without being noticed, we may never know." He said, and I laughed.

Emmett and Rose didn't reappear. After an hour, Esme noticed that they were missing, and Jasper told her that Rose had been feeling a little sick and Emmett had taken her home.

A few minutes later, Jasper sighed. "Well, I'd kind of wanted Rose to be here for this, but...oh well." I frowned. Had I missed something?

The entire room; Esme and Carlisle, my parents, Me, Edward, and Alice all watched as Jasper awkwardly got down on one knee, digging in his pocket.

I was sitting beside Edward now, and when my hands flew up to cover my mouth, I accidentally smacked him the face. He muttered an "ow" under his breath, but he wasn't about to interrupt Jasper now.

Alice had covered her face in her hands, and her shoulders were shaking, like she was crying.

I spotted her camera on the chair to my left, and snatched it up. Someone had to take pictures.

"I know that you wanted a real engagement ring, a nice one, with a diamond and everything, and this is just my class ring, but I promise to get you a real one as soon-" He was cut off before the end of his speech when our favorite pixie launched herself out of her seat and onto to him, knocking him over onto his back. The room laughed as Jasper struggled to sit up with a sobbing Alice on his lap.

After Alice calmed down, fifteen minutes later, Jasper slid his ring onto his finger. He'd gotten it resized, so that it fit just about perfectly on Alice's tiny finger.

Alice looked happier than I'd ever seen her.

* * *

**Wow. It's been forever, hasn't it? I'm sorry. Life happens, you know? in case anyone's wondering, my trip was amazing =)**

**THanks for a ll the reviews of last chapter!!**

**I know this is short. But it was sweeet wasn't it? And, it's a two-parter. =) I'm working on the second part as you read this. go ahead and review this part though!!**

**And...I have a Harry Potter one-shot up. If you like HArry Potter, please go and check it out. Please and thank you!**

**One last thing. I'm thinking about getting a beta...if you're interested, shoot me a PM, please. **


	14. Chapter 11: Christmas Eve, Part 2

**~Baby Steps~**

**Third Person POV**

"I need some air." Rose said, sounding a little anxious. The Christmas Eve party had been going on for about an hour and a half now. She'd thought that no one had heard her, and jumped when someone answered.

"I could take you home, if you want." Emmett said, sounding somewhat concerned. Rose smiled to herself. He really was a big teddy bear. She looked up, to find him sitting on the arm of her chair.

Emmett watched Rose, hoping that she'd say yes. She seemed to chew on her words before finally saying,

"Alright." She sounded like she wanted to take it back as soon as she'd said it, but didn't. Emmett grinned.

"Let me tell Jazz. Then I'll be ready." She said quietly, and walked gracefully across the room, and said something to Jasper. Emmett stood up as Jasper glanced over at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked Rose in a quiet voice. She nodded, chewing her bottom lip.

"I'll be okay." She said.

Rose and Emmett slipped away quietly, and only Jasper knew they'd left.

Emmett held the door for Rose, then got in himself. He saw her shiver, and shrugged out of his jacket, and held it out to her, a sheepish smile on his face.

"The heater doesn't work so well." he admitted. Rose stared at the jacket for a moment, then took it and slipped it on. It was much, much too big for her, but it was warm. And it smelled nice too. Emmett smiled to himself as he saw Rose sneak a sniff of his jacket's collar.

"You know, Emmett?" Rose said suddenly. "I'm not sure if I want to go home quite yet. Would you mind if we just...talked for a bit?" she asked. She wasn't completely sure why, but she felt safe with Emmett. Slightly nervous, like she was with all men now, but not too bad.

Emmett smiled widely, not even trying to hide it. "Fine with me. Anywhere you want to go?" he asked. She shook her head, burying herself deeper into the jacket.

"Do you like hot chocolate?" he asked after a minute.

So, ten minutes later, Rose sat in a comfortable arm in chair at a table in the very back of one of the two cafés in Forks, still wearing Emmett's jacket. Emmett set down a cup of hot chocolate in front of her, then sat down in the chair across from himself, swearing under his breath as he burnt his tongue on the hot liquid.

Rose whispered a "thank you" to him, and took a small sip.

"What do you want to talk about?" Emmett asked. They were alone in the shop, except for the bored looking employee, who was reading a book behind the counter. Rose shrugged, and set her cup down on the table.

"I don't know." She admitted, a little embarrassed. "I'm not ready to go home yet, though." She said, looking down at her lap. Emmett nodded.

"I know the feeling." He said.

Maybe he did know the feeling. Probably not for the same reasons as she did, though.

So, Emmett talked for quite a while about nothing in particular, making Rose smile every once in a while with a stupid story or joke. Rose finished her drink before long, and just listened, glad to not have to talk much.

But, it didn't last. Emmett's whole person seemed to shift moods. He became serious after a momentary pause.

"Hey, Rosie?" he asked. Rose smiled at the nickname. She liked it. "Can I ask you...a question?" he asked, sounding a little bit nervous. Rose nodded.

Emmett took a deep breath before saying, "What happened to you? Why are you always so afraid of people...afraid to let them near you?" he watched as her expression became sad, and her eyes became so...hurt again. He instantly regretted asking, and quickly said, "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked."

Rose continued to look at Emmett. _Maybe...Maybe it's time to tell someone. To tell him. _She thought to herself. _But can you handle it? _A small voice in the back of her mind asked. _Let's find out. _

She looked around. They were still by themselves in the shop, and the guy behind the counter was reading with his back to them, listening to his ipod.

_But...what if... _An image of Emmett, looking rather disgusted, getting up and storming out of the shop flashed through her mind. _He wouldn't do that. I know he wouldn't. _She thought. And before she lost her nerve, she opened her mouth to speak.

"A few months ago, I was on my way home from a friends house, a little after dark. I was walking for once." Rose started, talking softly. Emmett gave her all of his attention, but had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I was almost home. There was nobody else around. I was listening to my ipod while I walked, so I didn't hear it coming..." Emmett found that he was holding his breath, and leaning forwards slightly in his seat. "Somebody, a man, grabbed me from behind, and put a cloth over my face. I tried to fight but...he was so strong, and I was so sleepy..." Rose was whispering now. Emmett's fists were clenched tightly, and his face was hard. He could see where this was going now. It was quiet for several long minutes, and in the shadows, he could see her hand fly up to her face, wiping at her eyes. He heard her take a few shaky breaths.

"Five." She said suddenly, loudly, her voice thick suppressed anger. "There were five of them." Emmett could just see a tear rolling down Rose's cheek, and he wanted to do something, to tell her it was okay, comfort her in some way, but he didn't know how, or how should would react to him touching her even. "Five." Rose repeated, softly this time.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." He said, standing up. Rose followed him, hurriedly wiping away the tears on her cheeks. He held the door for her.

"Do you want to just walk for a while?" he asked her. It was snowing lightly now. A White Christmas.

"Okay." Rose said quietly. The two walked in silence for a few minutes, then Emmett spoke.

"Thank you, for telling me." he said, looking down at his feet. "I'm sure it wasn't easy." Rose just nodded in response, hiding her face with her hair. After a moment more, Emmett huffed, and stopped walking. Rose did too, wondering what he was doing.

"I'm going to try something." He announced, and took a step closer to her. She automatically took a step back.

"Try what?" she asked, sounding scared. Emmett stopped.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Just...stay still." He said, and took another careful step towards her.

Rose's mind was screaming at her to not let him any closer, to run away, to move, to do _something..._but there was that little voice that could just be heard over the chaos saying that this was going to be alright. That Emmett was a good guy.

And that was the voice she listened to.

Emmett stepped closer still, reached out, and took her hand in his. She was shaking.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper. Rose took a few deep, steadying breaths before nodding. "Do you think I can give you a hug?" Emmett asked, seriously. As much as it hurt her to do it, she shook her head.

"But this is okay?" he held up their hands. She nodded again. Emmett smiled. "Baby steps are still steps." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and grinning down at her.

**123456789**

Emmett drove her home a little later. Rose had changed into her PJs, and was lying in bed in the dark. Nobody else was home yet.

She'd willingly told her story for the first time. And Emmett...he'd understood that she didn't want pity. She wanted to tell her story, then drop it. And he'd let her. He hadn't pushed for more details, or told her how terrible it must've been, or that he was sorry that it had happened to her. And yet...it was all implied, by everything he did.

She smiled to herself. And, he'd been able to touch her, to hold her hand.

_"Baby steps are still steps." _She remembered him telling her. She smiled again. _I can handle these baby steps. _

**_~Imaginary line~_**

**_{Fanfiction is being kinda spazzy on me at the moment....}_**

**And, there's part two of Christmas Eve. And now we know Rose's story. **

**No, this does not mean that Emmett and Rose are not a couple. They're just friends, as of now. **

**I'm thinking about writing a parallel story to this one, of Rose and Emmett, picking up where this left off. I'd Lie is almost finished, I'm afraid...any thoughts on that? **

**So. I had intended to have this written and up one, maybe two hours after I posted part 1. But...I got so few reviews for part 1, that I was in no mood to write. What's the message? I. need. reviews. So review this chapter, please!! Tell me if you hated it. Tell me if you loved it. Tell me what your favorite line, or part was. Give me a nice, long review. I can never get a review that's too long. Review away!**


	15. Chapter 12: Future Crap

**Bella's POV**

I spent Christmas morning with my parents, of course. It was a quiet Christmas. The afternoon, however, I spent with Edward.

It had snowed throughout the night, so as we walked, we passed people shoveling their driveways and sidewalks.

Edward and I were holding hands, and we weren't really saying anything. I was a little worried. Usually, with me and Edward, we didn't have to say anything. But Edward seemed like he was...well, I wasn't sure, really. It wasn't exactly a bad mood. If he was angry, I'd know. But he wasn't his usual self, either.

"What's the matter?" I finally asked. Edward sighed, and squeezed my hand.

"Nothing." He said, giving me a smile. But, it wasn't _his _smile. I rose an eyebrow at him. We stopped walking. We were in the park now, and Edward let go of my hand and walked over to the swings. He brushed the snow off of one of them, then sat down. I followed suit.

"I'm not ready to get married." He said suddenly. I almost fell off the swing. I don't know what I'd thought was going through his head, but it was definitely not that.

"What?" I choked out.

"I'm sorry." Edward said quietly, digging a hole in the snow with his foot, and looking down.

I was beyond confused. "Who said anything about getting married?" I asked incredulously. Edward ran his hand through his hair, and looked at me.

"No one, really. It's just...Jasper and Alice are engaged now, and it made me think about some stuff. Future crap." He said, and looked down at the ground again.

I was stunned. Sure, I'd thought a little bit about marriage last night, I mean...Jasper had proposed. It was all so sweet. Of course I was going to fantasize a little bit, but I hadn't thought seriously about it. Or anything else to do with our future, for that matter.

"What kind of 'future crap' did you think about?" I asked, a little shakily.

"Getting married. College. Moving out. That sort of thing." Edward answered. I sighed. I didn't want to think about the future. I wanted things to stay the way they were...I wasn't ready for any of the things that he'd just mentioned, and I knew it.

"And?" I asked, wanting him to go on. Of course Edward had been thinking about the future. He was the practical, smart one.

"And I don't know what to think. Things have changed since the last time I thought seriously about anything like this." He admitted, smiling a little sadly.

The metal of the swing chain was cold, even through my glove. "What's changed?" I asked, half afraid of the answer. Edward looked up from he hole he'd made in the snow, and his eyes met mine. He smiled my special smile, his crooked smile.

"We have. Before...you were my best friend. We could keep in touch through emails and stuff like that, if we ended up going to different colleges, or moving away, or something like that, and it would've been just fine. But now..." Edward stopped and ran his hand through his hair again. "Bells, I can't live without you anymore. I don't care about where _I_ want to do after highschool anymore. Wherever you're going...that's where I want to be. Oh my God, are you crying?"

I nodded sheepishly, wiping my eyes on my sleeve. "I'm sorry." I said thickly. Edward was looking slightly panicked now.

"Why are you crying? Was it something I said? I'm sorry!" he got up off his swing and stood in front of me, brushing the hair off my face, and kissed the top of my head. I laughed, attempting to stop the tears.

"No...no. It's just that I think that that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." I said, laughing at my own stupidity. Edward laughed a little too, sounding relieved.

"I meant it, you know." He said, serious again. I sighed.

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" I asked. Edward looked down at me, his expression still serious for a minute. I couldn't get a clue of what he was thinking from his expression.

"No. I guess not." He said finally.

A minute later, a snowball that really more ice than snow hit the back of my head. I yelped as the cold slipped down my back, and rubbed the back of my head, turning to see who'd hit me.

Emmett was laughing, just beyond the gate to the park. Then, his expression changed to one of fear, just as Edward's snowball hit him in the face. I laughed as he wiped the snow out of his eyes, then started lumbering towards us.

I was glad of Emmett's interruption, for once. The things that Edward wanted to talk about, to be honest...scared the crap out of me.

**~IL~**

For the rest of the week, Edward was distant. I called him, he didn't pick up, and only returned my calls half of the time, mainly to tell me that he was too bust to talk. We didn't see each other the whole week.

I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown by the time New Year's Eve rolled around.

Alice was having what she was calling a party at her house. Really, it was just going to be the six of us, me, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Em. Thankfully, she wasn't making me dress up. I was allowed to wear my favorite pair of jeans, fur lined boots, and Edward's jacket.

Why was I an inch away from having a breakdown? Simple. I was terrified that Edward was going to break up with me. It had been the Edward and Bella show for years. If we were to split up now...I didn't know how to live without him. It wasn't that I didn't want to, all though that was true as well. I truly didn't know how to live without him

I called Emmett and got him to give me a ride.

"What's going on with you and Eddie?" Emmett asked as I slammed the door shut. I reached back and got one of the blankets that Emmett kept in the backseat and pulled it over myself. He really should get the heater fixed in this thing.

I shrugged. "We're just...going through a rough patch." I told him, hoping it was true. Emmett looked at me for long moment, like he was about to try and get more out of me, but then he shrugged, and pulled out of the drive way.

Edward showed up at Alice's a few minutes after me and Emmett got there. Alice had been trying to get what was going on between us out of me, but when he arrived, she moved on to attack him.

Edward and I avoided each other for about an hour and half.

"Hey, Bella. Can you get some more cups out of the closet?" Alice asked me, sounding a little absent minded. I nodded, noting that Edward was no longer anywhere in sight. Maybe he'd gone home already. Alice started chatting to Rose, and I left to get the cups. I opened the door of the closet, and was surprised to see Edward there, his hand on the cups I was supposed to be getting.

I turned just in time to have the door slammed in my face, and heard the lock click. Edward swore behind me, and I pounded on the door.

"Sorry, Bells. You're not getting out until you and Edward can get along again." It was Jasper's voice, and I was sure he was acting on Alice's orders. He would do anything for her, including lock people in a closet, apparently.

The lights flicked off, and I faintly heard Jasper's footsteps moving away on the other side of the door.

I let a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a scream, and sank down to the floor, my back against the door.

Okay. Before I said I was an inch from breakdown. Now, I was down to a measly millimeter.

I heard Edward sit down a couple of feet away from me, and his knees rubbed against mine. I drew them up to my chest. I was angry at him for acting like he had towards me with no explanation. I hadn't done anything to deserve this! At least...I didn't think I had.

"Why have you been such a jerk this week?" I asked, reluctantly. My voice showed a lot more of the hurt I was feeling than I'd really meant to.

All I got from the other side of the closet was silence.

I was barely hanging on to the edge now.

"How are we supposed to get anywhere if you won't even talk to me?" I asked quietly.

Edward sighed. "You want to know what's wrong?" he asked, then went on without waiting for an answer. "I'm sick of being the mature one. I always have been, at least in some ways. Whenever we get to a point where we _need _to talk about something, like...I don't know, what we're going to do when we graduate, you dance around the issue." He was on his feet now. "You've always been like this, and guess what? I can't decided for you this time. You _have_ to help me out, Bella! 'How are we supposed to get anywhere if you won't even talk to me?' I could ask you the same!" Edward was yelling now, and I could hear the stress laced into his voice. Even though I couldn't see him in the dark, I knew he had just run his hand through his hair.

And...the edge that I was barely clinging to just crumbled in my hands.

I could feel the tears in my eyes brimming over now. I hated myself for crying. I always cried. Especially when someone was yelling. I couldn't stand yelling. "I'm sorry." I said quietly, sniffing a little in an attempt to keep my nose from running. "I'm scared." I admitted in a small voice, and I heard Edward sit down again. I heard take a deep breath and let it out slowly, and I could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his cool.

"I'm scared too, Bella." He said softly. "But, we can get through all the scary stuff and turn out okay if we stick together." He said softly. The lights suddenly flipped on, although the door remained locked. Great.

I hurriedly attempted to wipe my eyes, but his hands were faster, and gentler than mine would have been.

"Do you really believe that?" I asked, looking down at my knees as Edward moved to sit with his back against the door with me. He placed his arm around my shoulders, and, despite that fact that he had avoided me all week and yelled at me, I not only let him, but also rested my head in the crook of his neck. Edward's lip brushed the top of my head, and he nodded.

"Yeah. I really do. We can do anything, if we do it together." It was quiet for a moment, then he laughed. "That sounds really corny, doesn't it?" he asked, but continued to laugh, and I nodded, smiling a little.

When he stopped laughing, Edward became serious once again. "I'm sorry, Bells. So sorry." He whispered, and kissed my temple. "I've really been an ass about the whole thing, haven't I?" I didn't say anything, even though I agreed with him. No need to rub it in. He was sorry.

"We'll talk later?" I asked quietly. He nodded.

"Yeah. We'll talk more later." He agreed. Then, after one last moment of peace, he turned slightly, and hammered on the door behind us.

Jasper let us out a few minutes later, with an apologetic smile. I patted his arm, trying to show him that I understood, but Edward just glared at him.

We walked back to where Alice, Emmett, and Rose were, in the living room, and Alice looked up.

"Work things out?" she asked, as she pulled Monopoly out from a cabinet by the TV. Edward put his arm around my waist, and I, blushing, nodded.

Alice smiled happily, Emmett whooped, and Rose smiled just slightly, looking down at her hands.

Edward sat down on the floor, where it seemed like we were going to play Monopoly while we waited for the New Year to come, and pulled me down next to him, locking his hand and mine.

"Did either of you bring cups?" Alice asked suddenly. The whole room laughed.

**~IL~**

"Happy New Years." Edward said as the clock struck midnight, and kissed me.

A few minutes later, after saying goodbye to everyone, Edward and I headed for home.

"You're wearing my jacket." He noted as we pulled up to a stoplight. I looked down, blushing a little.

"I missed you." I said defensively. I'd expected him to laugh, but he didn't.

"I'm really sorry." He said for the sixth time, and ran his hand through his hair. I rolled my eyes.

"Typical Edward. Shoulder the blame for everything, even though I was just as bad as you were."

"I hurt you." He said, keeping his eyes on the road, his tone filled with self hate.

"And I hurt you. We're even." I insisted. I hated it when he got into this sort of mood.

Edward pulled into his driveway, and shut off the car. "No. No, we're not even." He said quietly. He reached out and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear, and cupped my cheek. "I hurt My Girl. That's way worse than you hurting me." It was quiet for a moment, then, the mood shifting, Edward said, "change, and meet out in the tree house in fifteen minutes?" I nodded, and we both went to our respective houses.

Fifteen minutes later, wearing a pair of blue PJ pants, a tee shirt, two pairs of socks, Edward's jacket, and wrapped up in a blanket (I was carrying a second one, just in case I needed it) I made my way towards the tree house. I could see a faint light in it as I got closer, so Edward was already there.

I clumsily climbed up the ladder, and, thankfully, I made it inside without falling.

Edward was dressed similarly to me, and he had a couple of extra blanket of his own. He smiled, and patted the spot on the floor next to him, where he'd laid out a blanket for us to sit on, and placed the lantern on the edge of the blanket.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked. I nodded.

"For now, at least. I'll tell you if I get too cold." I assured him. He was sitting with his back up against the wall, and I went to join him. I put my feet in his lap, my back against the wall, facing him.

"Where do we start?" he asked with a sigh. I bit my lip. His guess was as good as mine was.

"What are you planning on studying, at this point?" I asked, deciding that, in light of recent fights, just letting him work it out and lead the discussion wasn't the best idea.

"I'm not completely sure yet...but psychology I think." He said, slowly, choosing his words with care. The answer surprised me a little. The last time he'd said anything related to this subject, he was thinking about being a Pediatrician. We really _had_ needed to talk. "What about you?" he asked with a smile. I knew that he already knew the answer, but I said it anyways.

"Art."

"Still?"

"Yeah. It's what I love, and I'm good at it. I think." I said, nodding, and Edward absentmindedly started to rub one of my feet.

"You are good at it. Very good." He agreed.

"Most people want to get as far away from their hometowns as possible when they first leave for college. But...I kinda want to stay close. Not too close, but...close enough to come home for more than just Christmas." I mused, more to myself than to him. He smiled.

"That sounds kinda nice, actually. What do you think of the Art Institute of Seattle?" he asked.

"I've never really thought about it." I said with a shrug.

"Maybe you should. I could go to some other school in Seattle. We could get an apartment together." Edward suggested. I smiled.

"Maybe, Edward. But let's not make all our plans tonight." I said, leaning my head against the wall with a little yawn.

"That's fine. We'll talk more some other time. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Oh my. Life happened again. I'm sorry! But, it's up now. And...only a couple chapters left...I think. **

**Eh. I'm not really all that happy with this chapter. I'm not good at writing fights. Blah. **

**I have a poll up on my profile about "Baby Steps" go vote on it, please? {In case you're wondering, Baby Steps will be the Rose/Em story that I was thinking about doing}**

**Does anyone use Live Journal? Can anyone tell me if I should get one? **

**And....review =) **


	16. Chapter 13: I'm Doing A Rain Dance

**Bella **

My mom's been crying for three days.

All because of one thing…the thing that almost all mothers dread....

High School Graduation.

"My baby's growing up so fast!" is what she's been sobbing for the past three days, which brings on memories from the week before I started middle school…and high school…I can't wait for this all to start again when I actually leave for college.

Yep. College. Me and Edward are going to Seattle University. We've already gotten everything set up…and we're going to be renting an apartment near the campus. We still have to get that worked out, but things are falling into place, faster and smoother than I'd ever dreamed of.

And, of course, my mom is freaking out. As usual.

So, here I am, all dressed and ready in my cap and gown, and my mom is standing in my room, crying her eyes out at the sight.

This is going to be fun, huh?

**~I'd Lie~**

Edward and I had only had time to give each other a quick hug before we were hurried away to our own spots in the line. I was right behind Jessica Stanly, who usually wasn't so bad, but today she was…hyper. Beyond hyper. She was getting a little annoying, to be honest.

Edward was up near the front of the line, just behind Alice. Jasper was off on his own, with the couple of other students who's last name started with 'H,' and Emmett was four or five people ahead of me.

I'd expected the ceremony to last for forever, but it really moved pretty fast.

Alice's parents, the Hales (who had flown in to visit for the weekend), and of course, Rose, all cheered as Alice danced across the stage, and she blew kisses towards the little group in the crowd, and one back to Jasper, who blushed almost as much as I would've, but grinned.

Next it was Edward's turn. He walked calmly across the stage, and my mom, both of his parents, and me cheered. And, of course, Emmett had to have his say. He yelled, "I love you, Eddie!" at the top of his lungs. The entire gym laughed as Edward took his diploma. Edward grinned his crooked grin, then walked off the stage to take his seat next to Alice.

Jasper came next. After he got his diploma, he did a back flip off the stage.

Then…it was Emmett's turn. I was a little afraid of what he was going to do, if anything.

The principal handed the piece of paper to Emmett, looking very proud. Then, Emmett picked up our poor little Principal Grover in a giant bear hug, and yelled: "I made it!" then put down the shaken man and did, no, attempted to do the moon walk across the stage.

A few more people crossed the stage and took their seats, then…It was my turn next. And it seemed to take Jessica forever to walk across the stage. Way longer than it had taken anyone else.

But…wait. It was my turn already?

I climbed the stairs, and walked towards Principal Grover, wishing that my moment in the spotlight would hurry up and be over before I had the chance to….

Damn. Too late.

I tripped over the microphone cord and fell flat on my face. Fabulous.

**~I'd Lie~**

Well, fortunately, the worst incident of the day was falling flat on my face on stage. The rest we got through okay.

Alice was hosting a party. A real party, not just our little group, for graduation. Almost all of the graduating class, and most of the juniors were coming. As well as a few of the sophomores. It was going to be huge, apparently. Party of the year. Well, in Forks...more like party of the decade.

"Hurry up, Bella. We're going to be late. You know how Alice is." Edward urged, sitting on the edge of my bed in a pair of dark jeans and an emerald green button down. He ran his hand through his hair as he watched me.

I was wearing a dress, on Alice's orders. So, naturally, I was slightly flustered in the first place. I rolled my eyes in Edward's direction as I scurried around my room, searching for my shoes.

The dress reached my knees, and it was very...swishy? It was the perfect dress to twirl in, if I was the type of person to twirl for no reason. It was a dark, blue-ish green color, that Alice said looked great on me, as did Edward. But then, Edward would've said that a trash bag looked wonderful on me, so his word didn't really count.

"If we're a couple of minutes late, Alice won't even notice, she'll be so busy. Half the town's population is coming to this thing. And even if she does, she'll probably be happy that I'm 'catching on to the art of being fashionably late' or something like that." I told Edward, peering under the edge of my dresser.

"What are you doing, anyways?" Edward asked, ignoring my last comment, although he smiled. I huffed at him as I got on my knees to look under the bed.

"I'm doing a rain dance." I told him, spotting the stupid things just out of arms reach. "Get down here and help me, Mr. Long Arms." Edward laughed, but got down on the floor, lying on his stomach next to me.

"What am I doing?" he asked, still laughing a little. I pointed.

"Shoes."

"Oh." He said, and pulled them out for me, chuckling to himself. I heard him whisper, under his breath, "Rain dance."

Half an hour later, Edward and I walked in the door of the Brandon/Hale household. There were already several people here, and Alice was busy chatting with a girl named Jenny. Jasper waved to us from next to Alice, looking a little bored.

"Have I mentioned that I love you lately?" Edward asked suddenly as we made our way inside, his hand finding mine, his eyes on poor Jasper. I just laughed.

"Bella!" Rose said, coming down the stairs. She was wearing a dress as well, but with a pair of dark skinny jeans under it. The dress came to about mid thigh. It was dark red and strapless, with black embellishments, and she also had on black gloves that came up to her elbows. She looked stunning, even more so than usual. A moment later, she stood next to me, and I hugged her. Edward smiled at her, and she waved in return. "Hey, Edward." She said to him, then, "have you seen Emmett?" she asked, looking from me to Edward, and all around her.

I couldn't explain what was going on between Rose and Emmett. Ever since Christmas, they've been really close, and no one, not even Alice, really knows how it happened. And…he can touch her. She won't even let Jasper touch her yet, so I find it pretty amazing that she'll let Emmett…

But it's not really my business what's going on with them, anyways.

"Bella, you're here!" Alice had detached from Jenny, and she practically jumped on me, now. "And, you're wearing the dress! And eyeliner!" she held me at arm's length, one hand over her mouth, then abruptly pulled me into another tight hug. "Oh! I'm so proud of you!" she squealed, shaking me a little. I laughed, a little nervously. I was never sure what to expect from Alice…in a way, she reminded me a little of Emmett in that aspect. For all I knew, the next thing she was going to do was pull up to the top of the stairs and announce to everyone that I had properly dressed myself on my own.

"Bella! We're not high-schoolers anymore!" she said excitedly. "We finally get to go out into the real world! It's so exciting! I can't wait to go to college, can you?" she asked me. Edward was laughing behind his hand, and Jasper was looking a little overwhelmed. I felt a little bit sorry for him, I mean, he had to deal with our hyper, over excited little pixie for the rest of the night, while everyone else could just go home.

But I smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing, isn't it?" I glanced backwards at Edward, smiling. "Seems like just yesterday that our dear little Edward was coloring his teeth with crayons on our first day of kindergarten." I reached out and patted his cheek, grinning. He scowled as Alice giggled.

_"Mama, I'm scared." I whispered, clinging to her leg, and staring into the new, colorful classroom with wide eyes. I was five years old, and it was my first day of school. Renee sighed softly. She probably didn't think I noticed when she did that, but I did. I always did. She smoothed my hair, and attempted to pry me off her leg, with no success. _

_"Bella, baby, look. There's Edward. Why don't you go play with him? Then I'll be back before you even know I'm gone." She said in an exasperated tone, pointing into the room, which, at the time, looked very, very scary. Then, I saw the head of messy curls the color of a penny, and Edward looked up as well. Green eyes met brown, and I smiled. I let of go of my mom's leg before I even knew what I was doing, and bravely walked into the classroom._

"Weren't you the one who freaked out and started crying in third grade, when Danny brought a snake to show and tell?" Edward asked, slinging his arm over my shoulders. I blushed hard.

"We weren't going to bring that up again, remember?" I asked, shooting a glare at him.

_It was just after recess, and it was Danny's turn to show the class what he'd brought that day. I'd already had my turn, and had shown everyone the Tinker-Bell cup I'd gotten in Disney world that summer. He stood up and carried a small cardboard box up to the front of the class room with him, with a mischievous grin on his freckled face. _

_"I wonder what's in there." Edward whispered from the seat behind me. _

_"I dunno." Emmett said with a shrug, sitting at his desk to my left. _

_Danny set the box down on the floor, and then...he pulled out a snake. A real, life snake. He was holding it by it's tail. _

_I let out a scream and scrambled up to stand on my chair. My reaction had surprised everyone, including Danny, who dropped his snake. I screamed again, and burst into tears. _

Emmett appeared next to us. "I remember that! Oh man...remember how long it took us to catch that thing?" he asked Edward.

"Emmett!" Rose smiled, and moved to stand next to him instead of me, and Emmett smiled, and slung his arm over her shoulders. I saw Jasper's face slip to show, for just a spilt second, how jealous he actually was, but then he caught himself, and was able to put the smile back on.

It must be hard for him. I could still remember how he was when Rose first came to live here in Forks. And now...this guy that he'd known for less than a year could hug his sister when he couldn't. It must be frustrating.

Things went fast after that. Alice flitted off again, dragging Jasper behind her. Emmett and Rose disappeared. And Edward and I stuck together.

"You want to get out of here?" he finally asked me after a couple of hours of sitting on the stairs together, greeting the people who greeted us.

I nodded, and we stood up at the same time. I spotted Jasper, and Edward followed me towards him. I knew he would be with Alice.

"Hey, guys, we're going to take off." I said to both of them, but mainly to Alice. She turned away from the Junior she'd been talking to give me a sad look.

"Already?" she asked, sounding very disappointed. I nodded.

"Yeah, Ali. But I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Bye!" I waved as Edward started pulling us through the crowded room towards the door.

**~I'd Lie~**

"Let's go to the tree house." I suggested when we were almost home. Edward smiled, not looking away from the road.

"I saw that one coming. But...yeah. That sounds good. Change first?" I nodded in response.

A few minutes later, I'd changed into a pair of shorts and one of Edward's long-sleeved shirts. I'd pulled my hair up into a messy bun, and grabbed my stock of jelly beans. Now I was crossing the giant yard towards the tree house. It looked like I'd beat Edward; there was no light coming from it. So, I climbed up the ladder, and turned on the lanterns that had gotten scattered around the room from all the nighttime visits to this place. I set down my jelly beans on the desk, then started walking around, looking at the pictures on the walls.

There was one of me, Edward, and Emmett. We were all swimming, in a small lake. I was on Emmett's back, my arms wrapped around his neck. We must've been thirteen.

_"Come on, Bells!" Edward yelled. I was standing on the edge of the dock, contemplating jumping in. We were at the Cullen's lake house, spending a couple weeks there over summer break. _

_Both Edward and Emmett were already in the water. Emmett had swum out a little farther than Edward, and he was treading water. Edward could still stand where he was though. "Just jump! I'll catch you." Edward urged. _

_"Do you promise?" I asked, a little scared. I wasn't a good swimmer. _

_"I promise." Edward said, nodding. _

_"Jump or I'm gonna push you off!" Emmett yelled. I stuck my tongue out at him, and taking a deep breath and squeezing my eyes shut, I jumped. And Edward caught me, just like he'd promised. _

He'd always been there to catch me. I moved a few steps to the left, and there was one of me with Emmett. My nose was bleeding, and I was sitting in on the ground, covered in mud. Emmett was kneeling down in front of me, looking extremely worried.

_Freshman year of highschool. Fourteen years old. It was Thanksgiving break, and me, Emmett, Charlie, Edward, and Carlisle had all been playing a game of football in the back yard. I was waiting for Edward to throw the ball to me, hoping that I would catch it when he did. Our eyes met, and he let the ball fly towards me. I ran to catch it...and Emmett came at me from the side, knocking me to the ground with him. His knee collided with my nose, and I could feel it crack, and the blood gush down my face. _

_"Bella, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he asked, struggling to stand up again, then he looked down at me. "Holy shit!" he yelled, causing both Esme and my mom to yell "Emmett!" He knelt down in front of me, repeating "Oh my God" over and over again. A moment later, everyone else had gathered around me. _

_"Oh, Bella...here or the hospital?" Carlisle, asked reaching down to help me to my feet. _

Emmett always overreacted. Well, almost always at least. The next one I spotted was one of Edward on his sixteenth birthday. The Volvo was sitting in his driveway, with a big red bow on it. Edward still in his PJs, boxers and a white tee shirt, his hair even messier than it usually was. He was jumping on me, his eyes wide and yelling in the picture, while I fell over backwards.

_"Edward, get up." I said, striding into his unusually neat room. It smelled like Old Spice in here. Edward grunted, and rolled over so that his back was facing me. It's was past noon, so I didn't feel bad for waking him up like this, even if it was his birthday. _

_So, I took a running leap, narrowly avoiding landing on him. I started shaking him. "Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" I sang. _

_"I'm up, I'm up! Just...please, stop singing!" Edward begged, sitting up and shaking me off him. I laughed, and stopped singing. I gave him a hug instead._

_"Happy Birthday, Edward." I said softly, as he returned the hug. "Now, come outside." I said, getting off the bed, and pulling him with me. _

_He stumbled along after me, and when we reached the porch, his eyes locked onto the Volvo, and his mouth dropped open. I pulled him down the last few steps. He was still in shock, Esme giggling on the other side of the car, with Carlisle smiling next to her. _

_Then Edward exploded. He started jumping around and yelling, finally jumping onto me, causing us both to fall over backwards, me screaming along with him. _

I had a bruised back for a week after, but it was nothing. I couldn't blame him. I knew that if it'd been me, the same thing would've happened.

I jumped as a pair of strong circled my waist from behind. "Hey." Edward said, resting his chin on my head.

"Hi." I said, with a smile. "I brought jelly beans." I mentioned, and he let go of me right away.

"Really? Where?" he asked, looking around, then spotting them. He grabbed them, and plopped down on one of the chairs.

"Don't eat them all. I want some too!" I said, holding out my hands. He poured some into them, and kept the bag for himself.

_Some things never change. _

* * *

**#$%^&*READ THIS PLEASE!#$%^&***

**Now that I have your attention...I hope...**

**Last chapters always make me sad =( But, I enjoyed writing this one. I'm kinda ready for I'd Lie to end, to get on to new things, you know? Anyways, only the epilouge left. **

**So. Baby Steps. Yeah. I've alrady started writing the first chapter...I got only ten votes on my poll, which _really, really _disappointed me, because I know how many people read the last chapter. 388. And I got ten votes. =( But anyways. Most of the people who voted wanted Baby Steps to be written mainly in Rose's POV. So..that's how I'm writing it. Thanks to those of you who voted!!**

**So...my birthday was on Wednesday! So, for a belated birthday gift, how about EVERYONE who reads this reviews. How's that?**


	17. Chapter 14: Epilogue!

**Bella's POV**

"I'm gonna miss this place." Edward said, standing with his arm slung over my shoulders. We were standing in the middle of the tree house. I had taken all the pictures off the wall, and put them in several different photo albums. I was taking a few of them with me.

Today was the day. Edward and I are leaving for college today. I'm scared. I'm nervous. So is Edward. But we're going to make it...we'll be together. It won't be so bad, as long as we're together.

"We won't be gone forever." I pointed out, trying to stay optimistic. Edward smiled.

"Nope. Not for forever. We'll be back again before too long." He said, agreeing with me.

We'd gone on several trips up to Seattle over the summer, Carlisle came with us a couple of times, and we'd found an apartment that would be perfect for me and Edward. It only has one bedroom though, a fact that nearly made Charlie pass out. But...he's dealing with it. He didn't really have a choice, anyways. It wasn't far from the campus, and our landlord is this really sweet old lady. She loves Edward, which kind of creeps him out, but he'll get over it. I think it's funny.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked, giving me a suspicious look. "It had better not be..." he trailed off as I started nodding, laughing a little. "God, that woman is creepy. How can you think it's funny?! An old lady is hitting on your boyfriend!" Edward protested, making me laugh harder.

"She's just lonely." I defended. "Plus, I think you can take on an old lady, if it ever comes up." I pointed out, making my way down the ladder. I waited on the ground while Edward climbed down.

"Whatever. But the door remains locked at all times." He said, but I caught a hint of a smile as he turned away.

We walked hand and hand through the yard, and through his house out to the driveway. The Volvo was loaded up, and we'd already taken one load up to the apartment already, with Emmett's help. Emmett had finally decided that he was going to go University of Seattle, along with me and Edward. He'd even been able to get an apartment a floor down from us. He'd moved two days ago, though.

Rose was...well, not good. All of us leaving, especially Emmett, was hard on her. I was a little worried about her. I'd have to call her when me and Edward got settled later on.

Esme and Carlisle were waiting outside, and my parents were sitting on our porch. When they saw us, they walked over to stand with the Cullens. My mom was crying again. Esme was keeping herself together, but just barely. Edward and I stood in front of the Volvo. How did you say goodbye at a time like this?

Esme finally made the first move. She stepped forward and pulled me into a warm hug. I hugged her back, then she let me go and Carlisle stepped forward to take her place while Esme moved onto her son. We hugged everyone, and then...after promising to call when got to the apartment for the hundredth time, got in the Volvo and left. Just like that. So easy...so simple...and yet, one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, a few tears escaping and rolling down my cheeks before I could stop them.

**Third Person POV**

Renee and Esme watched their son and daughter drive away, Renee sobbing hysterically, Esme smiling a little sadly. Charlie tried to comfort Renee, with no success. When the Volvo turned at the stop sign, moving out of sight, Esme put her arm around her old friend and led her away, up the steps and into the Cullen's house, shooing the men away with a wave of her hand.

"My baby!" Renee sobbed, slumping in her chair at Renee's table as Esme bustled around the kitchen, starting water to heat for tea. When she was finished, Esme crossed the room in a few swift steps, and sat down across from Renee.

"Stop crying, Renny." Esme said calmly. "What's crying going to do? They have to grow up eventually. It's time for them to go. It's not like she's leaving for good." Renee took a few deep breaths, and attempted to calm herself.

"I know. I know. But...I miss her!" Renee said, her lip trembling.

"And I miss Edward. But it's not about us. It's about them. We have to let them go now." Esme said, a little more quietly. "They'll be together, just like we always knew they would. They'll take care of each other."

Renee nodded. "They'll be just fine. It's me I'm worried about now." she admitted with a small sigh and shakey smile.

The kettle whistled, signaling that it the water was hot enough, and Esme got up again. She came back a few minutes later and set a cup of tea down in front of Renee, then sat back down in her chair again.

Esme smiled a little. "I won, Renee." She said after a minute. "I was right." Renee looked at her, obviously confused. "Don't you remember? When Bella broke her arm, when they were five. You said that they would be together by the time they were seventeen. I said eighteen. I was right." she explained, and took a sip of her steaming tea.

Renee laughed suddenly. "I'd forgotten about that. But...yes. You were right."

Esme smiled. "I knew I would be."

* * *

***IMPORTANT AN***

**It's over! I'm kinda sad right now. But...I think it ended nicely, don't you? Well. **

**I'm not sure about a sequel right now. In a way...Baby Steps is a sequel. But, not exactly. So, maybe someday I'll write a direct sequel from this but I'm just not sure right now. So, that's where we stand on that. **

**I have a couple of other fics that I've been thinking about writing, along with Baby Steps. So, be sure to put me on your Author Alerts! **

**And, I'll be honest with y'all. I'm really busy right now. I started school again today, and I have a pretty big workload with that. I found a puppy yesterday, and we're not keeping it permantly, but we'll have her for a couple weeks at least, and I'm in charge of taking care of her right now. It's a lot more work than you'd think. She isn't potty trained. or leash trained. Yikes! But, anyways. What I'm saying is that I'm not sure when Baby Steps or anything else will be out. It might be awhile...or I might get really inspired and get everything ready by tomorrow. I'm just not sure. So, once again, put me on your author alert list. **

**And now...thank you. thank you all so much! Without YOU, I wouldn't have made it past the second chapter. So thank you so mcuh for all of your support! I hope to see on my next fic! **

**Be sure to review!**


	18. One last AN

**Well! This story is offically complete =) I'd like everyone who put this story on their alerts, favorited, added it to a community...and reviewed, of course =) Thank y'all so much! **

**And...the first chapter of Baby Steps is up! Go and check it out! **

**Once again, thanks so much, everyone!!**

**~Dani **


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